Helping the Hurricane Victims
Many thanks to those who have helped provide fabric and supplies, cut, sewn,
ironed, tied, quilted, sorted, delivered, stacked and folded, encouraged,
tidied and vacummed, and snipped and clipped the over 362
quilts that have been donated (both adult and baby sized) to comfort
the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
The following are thoughts from Sandi Goldstein, a Public Health Administrator/EBHQ
member who delivered quilts to Katrina survivors now living in Alameda
County:
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With our arms piled high with colorful quilts, we walked
into Eastmont Town Center where Alameda County had set up
a re-location hub for Katrina survivors.
Upon entering the make-shift facility, the room became quiet with
all eyes on us as we wound our way though the halls.
The people still seemed to be in shock from their experiences.
Someone finally asked if the quilts were for them.
Folks shyly approached us and asked if they could have a quilt.
They said they were cold as they were used to tropical New Orleans
weather, not damp, foggy Bay Area weather.
The crowd ranged from single men to families with three or four children.
People gratefully chose a quilt for each member of their family.
An eight year old boy looked through a pile of children’s quilts
and chose one that he said was his favorite color.
His face brightened as he wrapped himself up in his new quilt.
His smile was so bright you could feel the happiness rising off his body.
Many people asked who made the quilts - where they came from.
With much pride, I explained how, a day or two after the hurricane,
members of East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild went into action and
started producing quilts and how members sewed with love,
caring and warmth.
People were extremely touched.
It was the first time I had seen people, who looked shell-shocked, smile.
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The S.F. Chronicle did an article on our efforts. You can read it at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/13/BAGP6EML4L1.DTL
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