In an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19, support frontline health care workers and keep the community safe, the Peninsula Piecemakers Quilt Guild has made and donated over 1,000 cloth face coverings and nearly 2,000 ear savers (made to help protect ears from chafing while wearing medical face masks) to Riverside, health system leadership announced this week.
“These incredible women have been one of the largest sources of cloth face coverings in our community and we’re grateful for the dedication of their time and talent in helping support our community,” said Kristen Witt, Executive Director of the Riverside Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the health system.
The Guild’s donation is valued at over $10,000, Witt said.
The face coverings provided by the Guild will be distributed throughout all of Riverside’s facilities, from hospitals to lifelong health communities and medical offices.
“It was challenging for our Guild members to switch from making quilts to making face masks and sewing buttons on headbands (for the ear savers),” said Gala Damato of the Guild. “But our members wanted to find ways they could help during this COVID crisis. Quilters are very generous with their time and talents.”
The Guild has long been a supporter of Riverside programs and patients having, for example, made and donated many quilts for the health system’s “No One Dies Alone” program, lap quilts for cancer patients, baby quilts for newborns and heart-shaped pillows for mastectomy patients.
In addition to the generous donation from the Guild, Riverside continues to accept homemade face coverings from the community. Following guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the face coverings being made and donated should be 100% cotton.
Donations may be dropped off at any Riverside hospital any weekday at the main entrances.
- Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg, 1500 Commonwealth Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185
- Riverside Regional Medical Center, 500 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News, VA 23606
- Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, 20480 Market St., Onancock, VA 23417
- Riverside Tappahannock Hospital, 618 Hospital Road, Tappahannock, VA 22560
- Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, 7519 Hospital Drive, Gloucester, VA 23061
Find more details on donations accepted in response to COVID-19 at riversideonline.com/covid_19/donations.
Learn more about the Peninsula Piecemakers Quilt Guild at ppqg.org.
Published: July 14, 2020