Mennonite Weekly Review

PIGEON, Mich. — Congregation plus community plus cooperation equals comforters.

Members of Pigeon River Mennonite Church work on comforters for Haiti. The congregation donated 95 comforters to Mennonite Central Committee. — Photo provided by Pigeon River Mennonite Church

That was the equation used in a project spearheaded by Pigeon River Mennonite Church for two weeks to create tied comforters for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Friends in the Pigeon community joined the congregation to make 95 comforters, which will be donated to Mennonite Central Committe.

The hum of sewing machines, the click of needles, the rumble of conversation — and the occasional howl of pain from a pricked finger — were only interrupted by cheers prompted by the clang of the bell, which signaled the completion of another comforter.

Lori Maust and Lana Gascho headed up the project with organization that would rival Henry Ford’s assembly line. The process of creating the comforters was broken into a series of stations in the fellowship hall.

On the last day, comforters to be tied not only filled that room but spilled over into the foyer and quilt room.

“I don’t know who was blessed more, the people of Haiti, or all of us who worked on this,” Maust said. “We built lots of new friendships and connections with people as we worked together.”

The comforters were filled with winter-weight stuffing.

“We don’t know for sure, but we suspect these comforters will be used to sleep on,” Maust said.

The work was spread over several days, involving women, men, girls and boys ranging in age from 8 to 88. Organizers estimate about 80 people helped with the project. In addition, children ages 2 to 5 assembled health kits to be sent to Haiti.

“To me, this comforter project represents what I think the church is intended to be — a diverse group of people bringing their talents, resources and willingness together to bless others,” Gascho said. “Everyone from expert seamstresses to children who snipped and knotted the threads were doing their part. People brought new bolts of cloth and scrap fabric — none of it planned to match — and somehow they all fit together to make something beautiful and useful.”