An Article in the MCC Thrift Shop Newsletter for August 2023!
Bears and Blankets for our Elders in Long Term Care
Meet our new batch of Theo-Bears or Teddy-Bears. These come from the MCC Thrift Store on Grantham. They are checked over before they are put out for sale. They are new or next-to-new. I (Jan) buy them for $2 to $4 each. What a deal! I bring them home and give them a gentle but thorough wipe-wash with a little dish detergent and a lot of hot water. And let them air dry.
Next, my Grace Mennonite Church Friend Mary K makes individual scarves for them and embroiders the first name of the person who will be receiving the scarf. I’ll then wrap the bear with the scarf and put a stitch into it to make sure it stays on.
Our Grace M C Friend Ester F crochets beautiful blankets and shawls! Can you imagine the work involved in making these? She loves to do it. I then sew an embroidered label on it that says "Wrapped in Love - Grace Friends" - so the blankets and shawls don’t get lost.
Our hope is that these go to Elders in Long Term Care homes who don’t get a lot of visitors – often because families live far away or because their family and friends are too frail to visit. We are excited that we have two Long Term Care homes participating in this FREE labour of love. The staff picks out the folks who will most appreciate these gifts and visits.
The Bears and Blankets are to serve as reminders to our Elders that they are individually loved and truly appreciated. The Elder will get also get a friendly visit and a bear-care card – and, if their diet permits – bear paw cookies (commercially made, just to be safe.)
And as best I can, I'll visit out B & B Friends monthly. We welcome more visitors.
Have questions? Phone Jan Steven at 289-990-4839 or email at janscats@gmail.com .
Next, my Grace Mennonite Church Friend Mary K makes individual scarves for them and embroiders the first name of the person who will be receiving the scarf. I’ll then wrap the bear with the scarf and put a stitch into it to make sure it stays on.
Our Grace M C Friend Ester F crochets beautiful blankets and shawls! Can you imagine the work involved in making these? She loves to do it. I then sew an embroidered label on it that says "Wrapped in Love - Grace Friends" - so the blankets and shawls don’t get lost.
Our hope is that these go to Elders in Long Term Care homes who don’t get a lot of visitors – often because families live far away or because their family and friends are too frail to visit. We are excited that we have two Long Term Care homes participating in this FREE labour of love. The staff picks out the folks who will most appreciate these gifts and visits.
The Bears and Blankets are to serve as reminders to our Elders that they are individually loved and truly appreciated. The Elder will get also get a friendly visit and a bear-care card – and, if their diet permits – bear paw cookies (commercially made, just to be safe.)
And as best I can, I'll visit out B & B Friends monthly. We welcome more visitors.
Have questions? Phone Jan Steven at 289-990-4839 or email at janscats@gmail.com .
