Volunteers hope to craft comfort
The new VNA Hospice Friendship Bag program utilizes volunteers and local churches to craft comfort for patients and their families.
“We started gathering items for the bags last year and began handing them out to families this month,” said Janette Hensler, volunteer coordinator for the VNA of Western Pa. Hospice.
“We wanted to give something to the families and patients that would offer them comfort,” she added.
St. Peter's Parish in Slippery Rock began a Sewing Ministry three years ago and since then has pieced together projects with love to offer comfort to others. Most recently its members have contributed fabric drawstring Friendship Bags for the VNA project.
“When Janette spoke to our group in November, we decided this was a project we wanted to be a part of,” Deanna Clouse of St. Peter's explained.
Creating comfort items is nothing new for the Sewing Ministry, which began by finishing a project for the Cancer Society.
“One of our parish members, Ann Leuken, succumbed to breast cancer and couldn't finish the ‘Reach to Recovery Program' pillow project that she started for the American Cancer Society,” Clouse said.
The 8-by-12-inch fabric pieces were cut and just needed to be assembled. The group took on the project, completing 65 pillows and bags to go with them, and the Sewing Ministry was formed.
“We have about 25 ladies from our three different worship centers to work on the projects. We have nonsewers as well who stuff and cut items for our projects and prepare kits for others to use,” said Clouse.
Just recently Rev. Kevin Poecking decided the ministry was worthy of a budget of its own so it can continue creating projects that bring comfort to the community.
To date the group has made 300 pillowcases, 168 pillows and 132 fabric bags. “The pillow cases have been donated to various organizations like nursing homes, shut-ins and at Christmas we delivered 80 of them to homebound parish members,” said Clouse.
Clouse is a retired nurse with the VNA and has a special place in her heart for its patients.
“I am a sewer and a quilter, and when I retired I knew I wanted to use those gifts to serve others during this part of my life,” she said. She was eager to be a part of the new hospice program.
“A group called Grace-full Needles from the Grace Calvary Lutheran Church also supplies some of our pillows,” said Hensler.
“We fill the bags with a pillow, tea, treats, brushes, pens and tablets, hand creams and other items we've collected. We try to put items that help the patient and the families,” said Hensler. The bags are filled by VNA Hospice volunteers and distributed by the nurses and staff that tend to the patients in their homes.
Linda Daugherty of Butler Township was helped by the VNA Hospice program when her husband's health was failing and wanted to give back, so she championed the Friendship Bag program.
“After my husband died, I really felt like I wanted to help others through what I had just been through, so I connected with the volunteer program,” said Daugherty. “Some think that death can be gruesome, but helping others can really bless your heart,” she added. Daugherty said the Friendship Bag program is a blessing of comfort.
“We have a Friends of Hospice Auxiliary that raises money for families in hospice. We use that money to purchase items for the bags. We also have volunteers that donate items for the bags,” said Hensler.
Hospice volunteers are always needed to work on special projects and to sit with patients and their families as needed.
“We have a nice group of people ages high school and into their 80s,” said Daugherty. “We definitely get back more than we give,” she added.
• For information on how to be part of the Friendship Bag program or how to volunteer, contact Janette Hensler at the VNA Hospice Inpatient Center at 724-431-3502.• Items for the bags or monetary donations can be directed to the VNA Hospice Inpatient Center at 115 Technology Drive, Butler, PA 16001. Make checks payable to Friends of VNA Hospice with “Friendship Bag” in the memo.
