Every quilter, knitter and crafter has a “stash”. It’s that bin or closet or cupboard filled with remnants of previous projects or materials purchased on a whim that have been carefully preserved because they might come in useful one day. Norma Hill of Forest Grove is a crafter and has accumulated quite a lot of fabric over the years. But, unlike other crafters, Norma recently found a use for her ever-growing pile of fabric – and her project generated thousands of dollars for Meals on Wheels People.
“When it was announced that everyone should start wearing masks, there weren’t a lot of places to find masks,” said Norma. “Everyone pretty much had to figure out how to make or find their own. I had the fabric, found a pattern online and thought I would make a few and give them away.”
For years Norma participated in the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire as vendors selling clothing and hand-carved walking sticks out of a cart she found at an antique store. When the pandemic broke out, Norma began creating unique fabric masks using the fabric she had collected over the years. She placed the masks, along with some of her husband Larry’s walking sticks, in the cart they rolled out in front of their house.
“We’ve been volunteers at the Forest Grove Senior Center for years and Larry fills in as a Meals on Wheels driver,” Norma said. “We put out a little sign asking people to make a donation to Meals on Wheels if they took a mask or a walking stick. Some people gave, some didn’t. We weren’t judgmental. Our goal was to help people – by providing masks and to raise a little money for a charity we love.”
What they didn’t expect was how much money came in. In just six weeks Norma and Larry created 1,500 masks and raised more than $3,300 for Meals on Wheels People in Forest Grove.
“We were shocked,” Norma said. “We just started out wanting to help people get the masks they needed and have been amazed at how generous people have been.”
“We are delivering 60% more meals in 2020 than we were in 2019,” said Meals on Wheels People Forest Grove Center Manager Rayann Warnke. “The donation from the Hills is particularly needed right now and we are so appreciative of their gift!”
Source: Meals on Wheels People