Video: Group Ministers To Tornado Victims Through Quilts

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TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Since 1999, a group of volunteers have been bringing hope to those who have been struck by natural disasters. In the wake of the April, tornadoes that hit the area, “Quilts Of Compassion” are now bringing their ministry to those affected in hopes of shining a light during the dark times.

Their message is simple. To bring hope and encouragement to the hurting. And that is exactly what the members of “Quilts Of Compassion” are doing for the next week.

What began as a small quilting group has now grown to an organization with three divisions.

“One of them being quilting groups, our second is pastoral care and three years ago, we started a disaster response division after the tornado in Joplin, ” Director and founder Janice Grimes said.

Since then, The volunteer based group has continued doing quilt drives to collect quilts as they donate to those in need. So far, The group has donated over fifty five thousand quilts.

“Through social media and quilters from around the country and we have had a few international quilters send quilts to our organization in Toledo for our natural disaster response team, ” Grimes said.

Once a natural disaster occurs, the team deploys to those certain areas in this “Quiltmobile”, packed down with hundreds of quilts.

“We lovingly deliver these quilts that that have been so beautifully made with so much love and kindness and care. We pray over the quilts before their delivered and then we deliver them to those that have been impacted by
the tornadoes, ” Grimes said.

Tupelo native, Lori Millsap, has volunteered her quilting services to assist in the drive. Now residing in North Carolina, she has brought more than 20 hand made quilts to donate.

“You spend a lot of time making a quilt. And so the whole time your working on a quilt your thinking about the person that your making it for. I’m usually praying for that person while im sewing, ” Millsap said.

The group has three trips planned for this year. They will also be serving those in Louisville and Alabama that were affected by the tornado’s.

“Quilts of Compassion” will pass out more than 650 quilts during the next week. For more information on how to be involved with the ministry, visit
their facebook page at “Quilts Of Compassion.”