Ugly Quilt Group Inspires First Church of Christ Project

Submitted by Nancy Barone

Middle school students from First Church of Christ in Farmington have joined a grass-roots effort to help the homeless by making sleeping bags from recycled material and then distributing them free to those who need them.

The students created the sleeping bags as part of a church school unit focused on helping our own neighbors. The bags are being distributed by the Friendship Center in New Britain.

“We are really proud of the work these kids put into this project,” said Kerry Laberge, Director of Christian Education. “It actually took them quite a bit of time to collect all the materials and then assemble the bags. The final products will help keep the homeless in our area warm at night.”

The idea for the project came from a group known as My Brother’s Keeper Ugly Quilt Group, which is made up of individuals and groups who want to help the homeless keep warm. It was started by a group of women in Pennsylvania in the 1980's, and has since spread nationwide.

The group estimates that tens of thousands of sleeping bags have been distributed to those in need. To support the program, congregants and friends at First Church of Christ donated old comforters, blankets, fabrics, and draperies to be used for the project.

Calico Corners in Avon also donated decorator fabric remnants. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students then collected the donations, and cut, sewed, and hand-quilted the materials to make the quilts. They completed six sleeping bags.

The children also collected donations of toiletries, hats, gloves, and socks. Younger children of the church then assembled these items into kits to be rolled into the sleeping bags for distribution. 

An important part of the project was the actual delivery of the sleeping bags. The children learned not only how a homeless shelter works but also just how close in proximity it is to our community. The students hope to continue their project and make more sleeping bags for next winter.

You can learn more about the Ugly Quilt Project by going to www.thesleepingbagproject.org.  To learn more about First Church firstchurch1652.org.