Samaritan Blanket Ministry
Many Hands.
One Ministry.
For more than four decades, people have gathered at Zion to turn fabric, time and willing hands into quilts and blankets for others. Some sew. Some prepare materials. Some help wherever they can. Everyone is welcome to be part of the work.
A Living Ministry
Stitched Together. Shared with Love.
A piece of fabric doesn't look like much by itself. Put enough pieces together, add willing hands and a little time, and it becomes something that can bring warmth and comfort to another person.
That's been happening at Zion for generations. The Samaritan Blanket Ministry has deep roots in the group historically known as the Samaritans Sewing Group.
Through the years, the work has brought together people from Zion and other area churches. The names and faces around the tables have changed, but the purpose has endured: use what we have, do what we can, and make something useful for someone else.
Our Story
The Samaritans
The Samaritan Blanket Ministry grew from a long tradition of sewing and service at Zion. For decades, volunteers have gathered to use their sewing skills, available materials and countless hours of work to make quilts and blankets for people in need.
More Than Four Decades
Historical accounts place the ministry's roots at least as far back as the late 1970s. Norma A. Day, a longtime Zion member and charity quilter, was remembered as a founding member of the Samaritan sewing group.
Many People, Many Years
Remembrances of people connected with Zion repeatedly mention participation in the Samaritans. Together they reveal a ministry sustained over decades by volunteers willing to contribute their time, abilities and companionship.
An Extraordinary Reach
By 2019, the Samaritan Quilt Ministry was reported to have made more than 40,000 quilts. Its work had reached people affected by natural disasters and newborn babies in local hospitals, among others.
Waste Becomes Warmth
Giving Fabric a Second Life
One chapter of the ministry's story began with material that otherwise might have been discarded.
A sewing-machine repair technician connected Zion's quilters with an event-rental company in Arlington, Virginia, that regularly retired large quantities of table linens. Instead of throwing the material away, the company began making it available to the ministry.
In the hands of the Samaritans, fabric that had finished one useful life began another. Retired linens became material for quilts that could provide warmth and comfort somewhere else.
The Ministry Today
The Work Continues
The Samaritan Blanket Ministry remains an active, hands-on ministry based at Zion. People continue to gather around the tables, share skills, learn from one another and carry forward a tradition that reaches across generations.
Preparing
Before a blanket is finished, materials have to be sorted, prepared, measured and organized. There are plenty of jobs that don't require sitting behind a sewing machine.
Making
Sewing and assembling turn individual pieces into finished blankets. Experienced hands work alongside people who are still learning.
Sharing
The finished work is made to be given. That simple act of sharing has connected generations of volunteers with people they may never meet.
Come As You Are
All Are Welcome to Help
You don't have to belong to Zion. You don't have to belong to another church. And you don't have to know how to sew.
People from Zion, other congregations and the surrounding community are welcome around the tables. Some arrive with skills they've used for decades. Others come ready to learn.
Not everyone does the same job, and no one needs to. There are different ways to contribute, different skills to share and things that can be learned along the way.
Come as you are and help however you can. There's a place for you in the work.
You're Welcome Here
Want to Lend a Hand?
Whether you sew regularly, haven't touched a sewing machine in years, or have never used one at all, you're welcome. Help for an hour or become a regular. Bring a skill or learn something new. There are different ways to take part.
Help however you can.