CAZENOVIA — Since 2003, Cazenovia resident Bonnie McCabe has been involved with an initiative to make pillowcases for local hospitals, a number of organizations, and communities impacted by natural disasters.
Throughout the years, McCabe and her sewing group have made and donated over 18,000 pillowcases.
McCabe started making pillowcases while she was running the CLIC community center in the Village of Manlius from 2002 through 2010.
In 2003, the center started a class called “Pillowcases for Patients.”
“While running CLIC, I was always looking for classes for kids and adults,” McCabe said. “Two of my friends, who were great sewers, offered to teach the initial class and get us started . . . We met each week and made pillowcases that we donated to Upstate University Hospital,” McCabe said. “We made pillowcases [because] they were an easy project to sew — lots of straight seams.”
McCabe added that the group has been going strong ever since and has donated to many institutions and organizations.
Each year, the group contributes 300 pillowcases to the Rescue Mission and sends around 50 at a time to areas that have been hit hard by disasters like Houston and Miami after hurricanes, Nashville after a tornado and a parish in Louisiana after a flood, to name a few.
“Currently, we donate them to the rehab unit and the adult and adolescent psychology units at University Hospital,” McCabe said. “We used to bring them to Community General as well.”
Over the years, the group has included as many as 10 to 12 participants at a time.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, around six individuals have continued to produce pillowcases every week.
“For the last year, we’ve been making them at my house, but before that we were making them at the Manlius Village Center, and while CLIC was open, we made them there,” McCabe said.
The group is currently seeking donations of fabric.
“[We are asking] people to look through their stashes of fabric, old and new, small pieces or larger ones,” McCabe said. “I would be happy to pick up any fabric people would like to donate.”
To donate, call McCabe at 315-727-8557.
