Female inmates at the Fraser Valley Institution (FVI) minimum security annex have been very busy making quilts for those in need of comfort. Seven of them were recently donated to Abbotsford Hospice Society and Palliative Care patients. The Society was in need of these items and was thrilled to receive them.
There is a long history of donated blankets and quilts from FVI. We have always had a wide scope when giving back to our communities, and so blankets have been donated all across British Columbia to various community organizations, courts, and women’s resource societies. Blankets have been sewn, knitted, and quilted, and have come in all sizes for use by children and adults.
It does not take long for the quilts to be made at FVI. The women are very dedicated to this craft and are talented at what they do. The fabric is usually donated, but most is recycled. Much of it comes from the CORCAN sewing industry at nearby Matsqui Institution. They keep all the scraps from the bedding they create for clients, which is then bagged up and sent to us. The women find creative ways to keep this out of landfills, using the fabric to make blankets, bags, scarves, etc. They regularly create scoodies (a scarf worn like a hood) for handout in the winter seasons by various police detachments in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver areas. To date we have made about 900 scoodies that are boxed and ready to go this fall.
Correctional Manager Thelma Llewellyn is the manager in charge of the annex, and has taken the lead in the creation and distribution of many of these items for the past years. She personally makes sure they get to the community organizations for distribution.
For more information on how you can help, please visit the Abbotsford Hospice Society webpage at www.abbotsfordhospice.org, follow them on Facebook, or via Twitter @AbbyHospice.