In our own quiet way, the Jersey Shore Modern Quilt Guild has been supporting our community through quilts for raffle, quilts for comfort to individuals, and other handmade items for ten years. Most recently, we presented twenty quilts, made and donated by our members to Mary’s Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove NJ. Mary’s Place is a respite for women battling cancer, a place where they can take a pause and relax in the most beautiful, serene setting one block from the ocean. While there, the guests are treated to a plant based diet, oncology massage, Reiki, counseling, yoga and so much more and it is all available at no cost. Mary’s Place is funded through local and corporate donations, grants and volunteers.

On the last day before the world shut down for the pandemic, we delivered a sizable batch of quilts to Mary’s Place. Two years later when they opened back up for guests, we received a beautiful, heartfelt letter of thanks from a woman who spent the first weekend they were back open there. Reading that letter was so heartwarming. We rarely get feedback directly from a recipient of our work and it got us all excited to continue doing this. It’s the collective thing that we all love to do and it’s truly making a difference. A win win!