Reprinted with permission
By Laura Knowles, Lititz Record
Copyright (c) 2025 Lititz Record, Edition 5/8/2025, p. A03
For a group of women from Moravian Manor Communities, wrapping the world in the warmth of a comforter has become their mission.
The Stitching for Hope Project was started by Phyllis Stuckey nearly three years ago, with some 50 women from Moravian Manor and Warwick Woodlands. She began with just a handful of women and the numbers continue to grow.
“As word spread, more women wanted to help,” said Stuckey. “The first year, we had about 12 women. The next year, there were 26 women participating and completing 24 comforters. Then last year, nearly 50 women made 46 comforters. Since then, more women are asking to be included.”
The beautifully stitched comforters will be sent to various places in the world, where people are facing war, poverty, and trauma. They are being sent through the Mennonite Central Committee to places where comfort is needed in difficult times.
One of those places is Ukraine, where communities have been ripped apart by the invasion of Russia more than three years ago. The people of Ukraine have dealt with cold winters, towns turned into battlefields, and bombings of schools and hospitals.
“The people in refugee camps and facing wars need the comfort of a comforter. It lets them know someone cares about them,” said Stuckey.
The idea began more than 10 years ago when she and her husband Keith were part of a committee that sponsored a refugee family from Syria.
“Hearing their stories of fleeing their homeland amid gunfire and chaos broke our hearts,” recalled Stuckey. “They shared their stories of seeing friends killed, homes destroyed, and gunfire ringing out as they struggled to escape.”
Then in 2022, Stuckey and her five siblings from all over the U.S. gathered in Lithuania, where one of her brothers was on the board of Lithuania Christian University and another brother was teaching Peace and Social Justice courses there for a semester. They decided to make it a family reunion, with six siblings and their spouses.
While they were in Lithuania, the Ukraine-Russia War had just broken out. They had the opportunity to meet five students at the university. Two were from Ukraine and one was from Russia. The students shared their dreams of graduating and returning home to help restore peace in their homelands.
It made an impression on Stuckey, as she met more people who were facing the trauma of having loved ones in war-torn countries.
“That trip made me feel helpless,” she said. “Then I realized there was something I could do. I could make comforters for the Mennonite Central Committee that would be sent to refugee camps. I could put my sewing skills to work to help provide comfort.”
She discovered that many women from Moravian Manor Communities shared her desire to help those in need. With the growing interest, the Stitching for Hope Project was born. They created a non-profit organization that would allow them to accept donations to support the project, able to purchase fabric and materials to go into the comforters.
Many of the women expressed regret that they no longer had their sewing machines. That’s when Stuckey reached out to Hinkletown Sewing to see if they had any machines they could donate.
“Without hesitation, the woman I spoke with said ‘Yes, how many do you need? Five? Six?’” said Stuckey.
She has been gratified to meet others who want to help. While shopping at JoAnn Fabrics in 2024, she met others who joined the cause. She met another woman at yoga class who wanted to help.
Still hoping to find a place at Moravian Manor where the group can make the comforters, they were able to make arrangements at Forest Hills Mennonite Church in Leola to use a large craft room. Several women from the church expressed their interest in helping with the knotting process. Now a group of six to 12 Forest Hills church members knot comforters for the project.
Some of the work is done at home, but the group hopes to have a local location at Moravian Manor with some much-needed elbow room, so more people can help without having to travel too far. Right now they meet once or twice a month to work together at Forest Hills Mennonite Church.
“It’s a time for everyone to get together and socialize as we help others,” said Judy Homan, who has been quilting for 12 years or so. “We turned to the Mennonite Central Committee for the distribution, since they are helping in countries like Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon.”
Ethel Shank has personally seen how important the comforters can be for those who receive them. Working for the Mennonite Central Committee for many years, she was able to witness their distribution by the MCC in places like Bangladesh and Bolivia.
“These comforters are considered among the prized possessions of the people who receive them,” said Shank.
Susan Blessing agreed, noting, “These blankets are the best thing they get. It’s such a wonderful project.”
Lynette Meck worked as MCC Program Director for 21 years and explained that the gift of a comforter to other parts of the world serves as a connection between people in different countries.
“A quilt is comforting,” said Meck. “They end up in homes and in hospital beds. They literally do provide comfort.”
As Stuckey explained, the Stitching for Hope Project is grateful for the donations of materials from the women at Moravian Manor, the women of Forest Hills Mennonite Church, and women in the community. Thanks to everyone working together, they have been able to make more than 200 comforters. They hope to make even more, possibly adding other retirement communities to the project.
Laura Knowles is a freelance feature writer and regular contributor to the pages of the Lititz Record Express. She welcomes feedback and story tips at lknowleslrc@gmail.com.