Originally Published in the Hunterdon County Democrat

online version can be viewed here.

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Published: November 18, 2015

 

The Good News Home for Women, a nonprofit Christian rehabilitation center for women based in Flemington, partnered with Grandview Grange No. 124 to give back to the community last month. The partnership resulted in a donation of pillowcases sent to the pediatric ward of Hunterdon Medical Center.

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Originally intended as part of the NJ State Grange's "Giving Sick Kids a reason to smile ... one pillowcase at a time" project, the venture soon found reason to stay closer to home.

"We like to help the community in any way we can as part of our outreach program," Lois Hanna, Grandview Grange treasurer, said.

Donna Stefanick, both a member of Grandview Grange and an employee of the Good News Home, initiated the project after attending the New Jersey State Grange session in October.

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"As a Grange member, I wanted to help and thought about the women I work with every day," Stefanick said. "The Good News Home women have wonderful volunteers who come in twice a month to teach them how to sew."

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Stefanick decided to partner with the local Grange she was a member of and involve her women in the project. Both sides were more than happy to play in the sandbox and bless a more than worthy cause.

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"We chose the Good News Home because one of our members works for them... and we believe they are a much needed and beneficial organization to the community," Grandview Grange President Claire Grissett said.

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Grandview Grange supplied all the monetary needs of the project while the women who are currently enrolled in the Good News Home sewed the pillowcases to donate.

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"We are a community service organization and our goal is to help others in need, whenever and wherever possible," Grissett said.

Joanne Gardner of the Courthouse Quilters Guild teaches sewing to the women and has made these pillowcases before and was willing to "help each of the women make a pillowcase."

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Once the pillowcases were completed they were donated and happily accepted at the Hunterdon Medical Center on Nov. 11.

"Hunterdon Medical Center was happy to accept the pillowcase to be used in the pediatric ward of the hospital," Stefanick said.

 

The women at the Good News Home also appreciated the ability to give back to the community.

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"It was nice to learn a skill and give to a child in need," one of the women said.

Most of the women found the ability to give back a "sign of hope," not only for the children, but themselves as well. One of the women even said that it was "an honor to be part of this process."

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"It was a beautiful feeling to give back what was so freely given to me," Sabrina, one of the women currently enrolled at the Good News Home, said when speaking of the love and compassion she has been given since entering the program.

In the end, all then organizations benefitted as the Good News Home women learned a new skill and were able to give back to the community with the Grandview Grange, and the children in Hunterdon Medical Center gain new pillowcases, made with love.

 

"It is a win-win for all involved," Stefanick said. "The hospital gets something to help the kids feel better, the Grange continues to support the community and the Good News Home women get to give back for all they have been given."

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For more information about Grandview Grange, contact L. Claire Grissett, director at 908-782-6832.

For more information about the Good News Home for Women, contact Robin Jackson, Development Director at 908-806-7913, ext. 326.