ARLINGTON — Jenny Buron is used to volunteering her time, but her fingers are not used to working so hard.
That’s because Buron is one of the members of the MOMS Club of Arlington/Stanwood who have been quilting for foster children.
“I’m an ironer,” Buron said about her delegated duties within the club. “We’ve been trying to engage everybody in our club in some way, even if it’s just another mom babysitting.”
The group of moms has been getting together as often as its members can and quilting for their most recent service project.
Buron said that the moms’ goal is to made between 15-20 quilts, which will be donated to foster children of all ages.
So far about five have been completed.
“A lot of these kids dropped off just have the clothes on their backs,” Buron said. “This is a way for them to get a personal item that’s home-made just for them.”
The idea came from local foster child advocate Elizabeth Gough and MOMS club member Deanne Moff, whose mother-in-law, Kim Moff, owns The Quiltmaker’s Shoppe in downtown Arlington.
Gough said she started a non-formal organization about six years ago to provide quilts for foster children. In the past six years, she said she’s donated hundreds of quilts.
“When I adopted my little girl, all she had was a comforter,” Gough said. “I thought that a quilt could be really valuable.”
All of the material has been donated from people in the community and is stored in Gough’s garage. Deanne Moff took some the raw quilting material and put it into individual kits for club members to use.
The women gather in back room of Kim Moff’s quilting shop, making use of her equipment and space.
The club met Thursday, Oct. 15 at the downtown quilt shop. About 10 women joined Deanne and Kim Moff and Gough to sew, talk and learn.
The women were slated to stay until about 9 p.m.
Camano Island resident Amanda Jensen sat at one of the three tables set up and made use of a sewing machine.
“It’s really cool to be able to create something like this,” Jensen said.
The MOMS Club is an international non-profit corporation that supports local mothers and their children.
Each local club participates in a service project each year to maintain their non-profit status, Buron said.
Throughout the years, the MOMS Club of Stanwood/Arlington has cleaned up Terrace Park in Arlington, participated in garage sales participating children’s clothing and other projects.
The local club started in Stanwood in 2001 and incorporated Arlington shortly after.
“We know how important it is for kids to have something when they may be on their own,” Deanne Moff said. “It’s worth it for us if they can get off to a good start. As moms, it’s something that’s close to our hearts.”
