LONGMONT, Colo. — A Longmont quilting organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this weekend with a spring quilt sale, marking four decades of handcrafted giving that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.
Interfaith Quilters of Longmont will host its 40th Annual Spring Quilt Sale on Friday, March 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, located at 803 Third Street. Admission is a $1 donation. Proceeds will benefit the OUR (Outreach United Resource) Center of Longmont and Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley.
The group, which draws 30 to 40 quilters each Monday to First Lutheran Church, has grown to more than 100 members ranging in age from 12 to 90. Its origins trace back to 1986, when a single woman’s idea set in motion what would become one of the Longmont area’s longest-running charitable organizations.
“A small group of women in 1986 said, ‘Let’s do this,'” said Tracy Murphy, a member since the group’s founding. “And when they did that, they didn’t think it was going to last. But here we are.”
From one-time sale to 40-year institution
Interfaith Quilters began because of a pressing community need. Homeless individuals were going from church to church asking for money, and local pastors were struggling to keep up with the demand. Lee Donaldson, then a secretary at Messiah Lutheran Church, heard from her cousin in Idaho about a church that had raised money by hanging quilts over pews and charging entry. Donaldson brought the idea to Longmont.
“Her cousin had sent her a note saying, ‘Hey, we raised some money at our church in Minnesota by hanging quilts over the pews and charging money,'” said Maxine Bunker, a founding member. “And so, she got it in her head, that’s what we were going to do. And she sent out notices to all the area churches.”…