Quilt donations help stitch the community together
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Law enforcement received handmade quilts that were donated to them last Monday. From left to right: Bonners Ferry Police Chief Brian Zimmerman, quilt maker Mary Lou Frederickson, organizer and quilt maker Beverly Hokanson, and Boundary County Undersheriff Richard Stephens.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Beverly Hokanson and Mary Lou Frederickson present Boundary County Chaplain Corps President, Len Pine, two handmade quilts.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Beverly Hokanson was pleased as the last of the quilts were handed out, and Bonners Ferry Police Chief Zimmerman admired them.
BONNERS FERRY — When disaster hits a person or family, it can be the small touches and the personal attention that can make all the difference. This was the thought behind a recent donation of handmade quilts to law enforcement, spearheaded by Beverly Hokanson, on Monday, Aug. 26.
The detailed and colorful quilts were laid out on a bench in the Georgia Mae Plaza, catching the sun with their vibrant designs. Hokanson and fellow quilter, Mary Lou Frederickson, greeted Boundary County Chaplain Corps President Len Pine, who was the first to arrive in Angel 1.
The Boundary County Chaplain Corps was presented with two quilts, one of which had a friendly dinosaur design for children.
“When victims, first responders, anybody, gets cold and wet and needs a little comforting — these quilts represent love on the part of these ladies who worked so hard to make them,” said Pine. “To me, that is a whole lot better than a space blanket. It really says care ... it says concern ... and it is a personal touch that nothing else can replace.
“What this represents is the care of a community for its own,” Pine added.
Bonners Ferry Police Chief Brian Zimmerman and Boundary County Undersheriff Richard Stephens showed up to receive quilts for both the Bonners Ferry Police Department and the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office.
Admiring the handmade quilts — the color, design, and hard work, Zimmerman said, “These are amazing.”
“It represents a lot of work — done by some very nice ladies — and we will be distributing these to people in need,” said Zimmerman.
The donated quilts were made by local residents, including Frederickson who has been quilting for 25 years, and donated specifically to this cause. Hokanson hopes that this will be an ongoing effort, and that other quilters, knitters, and crochet people will find it in their hearts to donate to this and other local charities.
For law enforcement, this generous and caring act will allow them to spread that love to others in need.
“When we have incidents where we will need to help somebody, we have blankets and stuff that we can give them, but these are so much personal,” said Stephens. “They have so much more warmth to them than just giving them a blanket out of a bag.”
“They put a lot of work and care into them, and to be able to give that to somebody when they are having a terrible day, might help pick them up a little more than something else would,” he explained.
“I am hoping that we can get many other people who do sewing and quilting, involved in these donations,” said Hokanson. “That would be wonderful.”
The next batch of donated quilts and afghans will be from those items donated to charity during the upcoming Annual Quilt Show being held Oct.11-12, at the Boundary County Fairgrounds exhibit hall. Between now and then, people may drop off their donated items at “A Little Comfort” quilt store or call Beverly Hokanson at 208-267-5355 for more information.