The Relief Society General Presidency and General Board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered the first batch of thousands of handmade quilts destined for Kosovo Wednesday afternoon to the church's Humanitarian Service Center.
Responding to a request from the Presiding Bishopric, Relief Society General President Mary Ellen W. Smoot and her counselors, Virginia U. Jensen and Sheri L. Dew, are coordinating a collection of thousands of quilts from Relief Societies throughout the United States and Canada.President Smoot said they could have just donated blankets.
"But a hand-made quilt expresses love and concern in a personal way," she said.
These first quilts were scheduled to leave Salt Lake for Kosovo Wednesday, and all other donations are planned to be completed by Oct. 1.
Many Kosovo residents are living in tents and won't have houses ready for winter. The quilts will help make a difficult situation more bearable.
Each member of the Relief Society Presidency has personally donated a hand-made quilt to officially start the shipments.