Threads of Love and Service

BY DANIELLE CLEMENTS

“I’m on my way to Rivervale to pick up a sewing machine that is being donated to us,” Rose Phalon, founder of Quilting for a Cause, remarks during a recent phone conversation. The fact that Phalon made time to chat at the same time she was working speaks volumes about who she is—and the kind of people who make up this volunteer organization.

Quilting for a Cause is a group of dedicated volunteers who lend their time, energy and skills to handmake and donate beautiful quilts to those in need, be it to homeless shelters, disaster relief efforts, veteran’s organizations or even animal shelters. Amazingly, the group started with one woman’s idea and has grown into a community phenomenon that celebrates service, friendship and, above all, love.

Following the passing of her mother-in-law, Phalon inherited a windfall of fabric. Not wanting the fabric to go to waste, she started out making just one quilt, and then another and another.

At the time, Phalon’s husband, Joe, commuted in and out of Manhattan for work and encountered many homeless people living on the streets in his travels. Each time Rose finished a quilt, Joe handdelivered it to someone in need.

During Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in 2017, Phalon invited a small group of friends and family to her home to quilt together as a way of honoring the federal holiday also known as a National Day of Service. Six years later, the group has 75 volunteers. They have handmade and distributed more than 7,000 quilts, reaching all 50 states and seven countries. This year alone, the group has already produced almost 650 quilts. “We never planned for this to happen, it just happened,” Phalon says about the extent of their efforts.

Quilting for a Cause has a strong Facebook presence, and they use the social platform to announce meeting dates, call for donations and volunteers. “There is something for everyone,” says longtime member Sharon Snook. “When I started, I didn’t know how to quilt, but everyone is happy to share and teach each other.”

Volunteers are always welcome regardless of experience. Hands are needed to sort and cut fabric, iron, pin and, of course, sew. “There is always something you can do to be useful,” says member Nadia Simone, leaning over her machine as she stitches. “I love that it is an opportunity to share warmth and care for people who need it most.”

Each time the group meets, members load up their cars with fabric, batting, sewing machines, patterns—you name it, they’re bringing it. Not all volunteers participate in the production of the quilts, but their contributions are just as important. Volunteers in states across the country send the group supplies, monetary donations and even half-finished pieces. That it’s a labor of love is apparent in every aspect. Appropriately, each finished quilt is affixed with a label that says, “Made With Love, Especially For You by Quilting for a Cause.”

At a recent gathering, one group of volunteers stood around a square table measuring, pinning, laughing and chatting like old friends do. On the other side of the room, more volunteers sat working, each with their own sewing machine.

Since the group expanded, they are now able to specify donation recipients and have begun to partner with national organizations. For instance, each year as Veteran’s Day approaches, patriotic patterned quilts are made especially for veterans. Volunteer Camille Faith, doting over a red, white and blue piece of fabric, remarked that the work, “makes you think about others around the world who need help. It’s a good feeling to help them and keep them warm.” This past summer, the group worked with Operation Kindness to deliver quilts to cancer patients in the Bahamas. Their reach is extraordinary.

Friends, neighbors and even strangers have made small and sizeable donations, each one as meaningful as the next.

“Pequannock is the backbone of all of this,” Phalon says. “This town never says no. When I go on Facebook and ask for volunteers or supplies, I wind up with more than I asked for.”

At the root of it all remains a strong sisterhood devoted to service. “I’ve run out of words to describe how this group has changed me,” Phalon says. “We have made lifelong friends, and I love what we do as a group. The amount of work people put in, how much they’re willing to give—it never stops surprising me.”

Pequannock resident Danielle Clements is a lucky wife, mom to two awesome boys, lover of dogs (especially her beloved Bowie) and a communications professional.

Quilting for a Cause is in need of quilt batting. To make a donation or get involved, visit the group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ quiltingforacauseNJ. You can also visit Quilting for a Cause at the Pequannock Township Hoedown Event on Saturday, October 14, in Greenview Park.