During the winter months, the Howden Community Centre became the meeting place for 15 people who all wanted to create something that would touch the lives of total strangers. 

The group of seniors in Ritchot spent the winter months making touch quilts and building friendships. 

Dolores Teichroew says the team of volunteers made 22 of these special quilts for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba. 

“It is suggested that each quilt has six fidget-type of activities on it. That's where the touch quilt comes into, and you just never know what might spark something in the person who's fidgeting with that or touching it.” 

The lap quilts included textile pieces like buttons, lace, Velcro and other items with unique textures, she says. 

Teichroew says they enjoyed getting together every couple of weeks, armed with various crafting supplies and a common desire to help people. 

“The result is we’re making a lot of quilts that the Society loves handing out to the nursing homes. And not just the nursing homes, to the people who request them.” 

She notes that everyone in the group had an important role to play. Some people cut and organized pieces and some people sewed. 

There were also ladies who knitted and crocheted. They made blankets and slippers to donate to Katie’s Cottage, a home built for people with loved ones being treated at Boundary Trails Health Centre. 

Teichroew says they really enjoy spending time together and some requests were made for Howden Hobbies to extend their season of crafting, to start up earlier in fall and continue later through spring. 

This shows how much fun these women have when they spend time together, visiting, and connecting on a meaningful level while creating thoughtful items to support people they will probably never meet. 

-With files from Carly Koop. 

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