(March 10, 2016) Started by Berlin resident Barbara Entwistle and a small group of local seamstresses, the aptly named Pillowcase Ministry has grown into an international effort benefiting thousands.
Using new and “nearly new” pillowcases, the group has fashioned more than 2,000 dresses distributed to impoverished girls in Gambia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Israel, Mexico, East Timor and Uganda.
Along with dresses, the ministry sews shorts for boys using recycled T-shirts, as well as sanitary napkins made from cloth. They have distributed underwear, made cloth backpacks and potholders, and sent flip-flops and basic school supplies.
Entwistle recently received stories of how her handiwork affected people in West Africa during the annual Tobasky holiday, when Gambians celebrate by wearing new clothes.
“When the pillowcase dresses and shorts were delivered one mother said, ‘I couldn’t buy clothes for the holiday. Now the children have the new clothes and I am so proud,’” she said.
Another story involved a 2-year-old in Gambia who delighted over a toothbrush included in one of the ministry’s care packages.
“He sat and brushed his teeth all evening until finally his mother wanted to take it away. He actually cried,” she said.
The Pillowcase Ministry is working to outfit 300 school children in Gambia with backpacks, following a request from Peace Corps worker Maggie Daniels.
Daniels said she has already distributed dozens of items at the school created by Entwistle and her helpers, who include several residents of the assisted living community in Ocean Pines.
“The kindness [the ministry] have shown has been noticed and welcomed,” Daniels said, adding that the aid has put “a smile on so many children’s faces.”
The Pillowcase Ministry is looking for help with postage costs. Entwistle said her first box of 75 dresses, mailed in 2011, weighed 18 pounds and cost $18. Today, a box of 28 dresses weighing eight pounds runs $23.90.
Entwistle will hold a workshop on the Pillowcase Ministry on Friday, April 1, from 1-4 p.m. at the Ocean Pines Library. For more information, call 443-944-5868.
Using new and “nearly new” pillowcases, the group has fashioned more than 2,000 dresses distributed to impoverished girls in Gambia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Israel, Mexico, East Timor and Uganda.
Along with dresses, the ministry sews shorts for boys using recycled T-shirts, as well as sanitary napkins made from cloth. They have distributed underwear, made cloth backpacks and potholders, and sent flip-flops and basic school supplies.
Entwistle recently received stories of how her handiwork affected people in West Africa during the annual Tobasky holiday, when Gambians celebrate by wearing new clothes.
“When the pillowcase dresses and shorts were delivered one mother said, ‘I couldn’t buy clothes for the holiday. Now the children have the new clothes and I am so proud,’” she said.
Another story involved a 2-year-old in Gambia who delighted over a toothbrush included in one of the ministry’s care packages.
“He sat and brushed his teeth all evening until finally his mother wanted to take it away. He actually cried,” she said.
The Pillowcase Ministry is working to outfit 300 school children in Gambia with backpacks, following a request from Peace Corps worker Maggie Daniels.
Daniels said she has already distributed dozens of items at the school created by Entwistle and her helpers, who include several residents of the assisted living community in Ocean Pines.
“The kindness [the ministry] have shown has been noticed and welcomed,” Daniels said, adding that the aid has put “a smile on so many children’s faces.”
The Pillowcase Ministry is looking for help with postage costs. Entwistle said her first box of 75 dresses, mailed in 2011, weighed 18 pounds and cost $18. Today, a box of 28 dresses weighing eight pounds runs $23.90.
Entwistle will hold a workshop on the Pillowcase Ministry on Friday, April 1, from 1-4 p.m. at the Ocean Pines Library. For more information, call 443-944-5868.