MCC Comforter Bash filled with lots of knots of love

Knot by knot, stitch by stitch and with the aid of plenty of committed hands, people in need all around the world will soon feel the comfort of a warm comforter.

Fairlawn Mennonite Church near Apple Creek served as the host site for the annual Ohio MCC Comforter Bash, which took place Feb. 28 and March 1. The idea is to craft together hundreds of comforters that will be sent to people in nations around the world who are forlorn and in need.

The event sees MCC invite any volunteers, regardless of their knowledge and talent in sewing, stitching, knotting and other assorted jobs required to make the quilts, and plenty of help showed up to make this year’s event a success.

The final count from the two-day event included 341 comforters knotted courtesy of 495 volunteers throughout the two days.

While MCC just missed its goal of 350 comforters, it marked an increase from last year when they put together 308.

“Everything went really well,” said Sarah Doerksen, material resources coordinator, MCC Great Lakes. “The gym was filled with wonderful people who simply care about others.”

This marked the second year MCC held this event at Fairlawn Mennonite, and Doerksen said having that one year under their belt made both the setup and operation for this year much smoother.

“It’s wonderful that we had this amazing space to work in,” Doerksen said. “We actually knew exactly what we were doing and what to expect, so we were able to dig right in and get rolling.”

Doerksen said one neat story this year arose from The College of Wooster, where a dozen sorority sisters heard about the event and came to provide their assistance, despite not knowing much about what was going on.

“Somehow, someone from there heard about this and shared it in their group chat,” Doerksen said. “They had never knotted a comforter before, and they loved it. It was so great to have them be here to help. They had so much fun, and they learned a new skill.”

The sorority sisters were far from the only volunteers to show up, with people from young and old, men and women, and many different denominations crowding into the facility to help in any way they could.

Doerksen said while they come to work hard to make the mountain of comforters grow, one byproduct of the event is people are able to sit and chat while they work.

Having that time of sharing is something Doerksen said makes the event that much more special to those who invest their time and talents in coming to help.

She said that aspect of the event is something that felt needed more than ever at this time.

“All types of people came together and fellowshipped while they worked, and they were all simply coming together to do something positive,” Doerksen said. “I think that is especially important since everyone seems so on edge with all of the political upheaval going on. This was just something tangible that allowed people to respond and fellowship in a very positive way. That’s the beauty of this; it’s bringing people together to bless others.”

Doerksen said it’s always heartwarming to watch those who have never knotted comforters come in to help and experience the joy of learning the art.

The good feeling of investing in the comforter bash will now emanate from inside the walls and travel all around the world as MCC prepares to ship the comforters to those in need.

Every year MCC receives many letters of thanks and hears stories of how these comforters make a lasting impact on those who receive them.

Doerksen said MCC sent out 53,000 comforters last year, with 40,000 of them going to Ukraine alone, as well as to Zambia, El Salvador and other countries where they were put to good use.

She said MCC always sets aside a small portion of the work to go to those in need domestically, with places hard hit by natural disasters like North Carolina after the devastation from Hurricane Helene, Kentucky and West Virginia after the flooding, and California following the fires as possible landing sites for the comforters this year.

MCC’s Great Winter Warm-up Campaign January through March saw the organization gear up to make and collect 7,000 comforters in a combined effort from the U.S. and Canada, with seven bashes taking place in the Great Lakes Region.