| Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com
Category:
EAST LONGMEADOW – “As quilters, sunflowers have always been a popular motif, as have the colors blue and yellow,” said Valerie Morton, owner of Quilts and Treasures, a quilting store in East Longmeadow. Sunflowers are also important to the people of Ukraine as it is their national flower and blue and yellow are the colors of the country’s flag.
Considering the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis that war brings, Morton created a quilting kit around the motif and began a fundraiser for Ukrainians in need. She said, “We need to do our little part,” Morton said.
The kits feature fabric to create a sunflower pattern with alternating squares of blue and yellow bordering them. They are $15 and $7 of each sale goes to Save the Children, a humanitarian organization. Morton said that she researched several organizations before settling on Save the Children but decided on that organization because most of its current efforts are focused on Ukraine and the humanitarian needs of its children and families.
Morton said the response from the community to this fundraiser has been “amazing. Just about everyone who comes into the shop and hears what we’re doing buys one. We will keep it going as long as the need is there and as long as people buy the kits,” she said.
“We’re very community-oriented,” said Morton. This is not the first charity or fundraiser on which Quilts and Treasures has worked. The business hosts a breast cancer awareness fundraiser each fall, as well as events to promote local food pantries and the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Centers.
“Quilters are generous people, and they want to help,” Morton said.
Quilts and Treasures is located at 56-58 Shaker Rd. In East Longmeadow and can be reached at quiltsandtreasuresinc.com or 525-4789. To learn more about Save the Children, visit https://www.savethechildren.org.