Bustling Basement
In the basement of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 201 W Jefferson St., some retirees are cutting things apart and some are putting things together.
Using scissors to clip out coupons, the St. Mark's Cutups are helping members of the military make ends meet. One table over, members of St. Mark's quilting group, the 3T group, works on quilts, lap robes, throws and school bags to be distributed to sick church members, nursing home residents and the homebound.
The Cutups have been together for two years. The 3Ts have been around for a long time, at least 28 years according to 3T member Eleanor Morris of Butler.
Carol Scott of Butler, described the Cutups' mission.
“We meet the first Monday of the month,” Scott said. “The congregation collects coupons.
“We collect them all and cut them out and turn them over to the American Legion in West Sunbury,” she said.
The Legion post ships the coupons to military commissaries across the world.
It helps military members and their families stretch their dollars a little further, according to Cutups Bob and Vera Niggel.
They cut every sort of coupon; for food, medicine, gadgets, whatever hasn't expired.
Scott said, “We use national brands, everything but store coupons.”
“We got a nice letter from one of the commissaries,” she said.
Scott said, “We get an average of 10 people. It depends on doctor's appointments. Some members are drivers and have to take people.”“It's nice to have the participation of the whole church,” Scott said, noting members of the St. Mark's congregation collect and store their coupons until they can deliver them to the Cutups.Scott said, “The military really appreciates them, especially the enlisted people. They don't have a lot of money.”“We'll welcome anybody with a pair of scissors,” to join their chop shop that gathers at 9 a.m. the first Monday of every month in the basement of St. Mark's.The group clips for about three hours before breaking for lunch around noon.That's the same schedule the 3Ts follow.Ginny Rettig, 90, said, “The 3T stands for task, talk and tea. We meet here in the fellowship hall the first Monday of each month at 9 a.m. to work on quilts, lap robes, throws and school bags.”“We give them to people in the church if they are ill, in nursing homes or the homebound to show them we haven't forgotten them and that we do care and pray for them.”
Morris said, “We've been doing this for 30 years and our numbers are dwindling.”Right now, there are 10 active members, according to Morris.The quilts, whose squares are created at home and then sewn into place at St. Mark's, used to be sent to Lutheran World Relief, but since 2000 the quilts and other items are distributed locally.And there's been a lot to distribute. According to the group's records since 2014 it has distributed 447 quilts, 276 lap robes, 9 throws, 30 throws with Scripture quotes and 575 school bags.
