Donations for Dogs at RiverWoods Durham

A group of quilters and crafters at RiverWoods Durham recently heeded the call to create and donate pet beds to a local animal shelter. The beds are made entirely of repurposed materials donated by residents. To create a bed, pillowcases are stuffed with strips and scraps of fabric and sewn shut. To you or me, that may seem simple, but there is another wonderful layer to this story.

Jan and Mimi are two of the crafty women behind the project. They explained that many scraps of fabric may have been tossed out following a previous quilt project. A donation bin was set up to collect additional scraps no longer needed by residents. Together with neighbors from Newfound Lodge, the group of volunteers gathered to rip and cut the scraps into pieces suitable for stuffing in the pillowcase dog beds.

“Unlike the quilt project, this is one that we could easily share with residents in Supportive Living.” Jan shares. Mimi adds, “Some people really enjoy the release of ripping the scraps, some people fill the pillowcases, and others enjoy the feel of the fabric. It’s messy and it is a lot of fun.” She continues, “This project serves a few purposes reducing and, reusing fabric, benefiting the greater community, and bringing this community together on a project.”

The plan is to donate the beds to the Stratham SPCA. Another bonus to these beds is they can travel with adopted pets to their forever home.

Jan G and Mimi S

Resident dog Tinker models a fabric scrap bed

A group of residents ripping fabric for the project. Clockwise from the bottom left are Julie K, Dottie S, Lynn B, and Jody N. 

If you’d like to see the craft studios and learn more about RiverWoods Durham contact us to schedule a tour, today!