Service — no matter how small — can make a world of difference.
In Provo, there's a local quilting group that makes a difference one stitch at a time.
Every Tuesday for the past seven years, volunteers have shown up to a Provo church building to come and make quilts.
Tuesdays start bright and early at 4 a.m. for Dale Bair. He comes to the building to turn on some lights and set up for a busy morning of quilting.
Using a specially designed template, organizers first mark dots with chalk to map out where the yarn will go. Then the volunteers tie the quilts in a very specific way to ensure quality results.
“It's called the universal stitch. You stitch, and then you go down in the same holes and come back up,” Dottie Killian said.
Killian added that Dale is very particular and he checks them all
“I’m their worst nightmare, I check them to make sure they’re doing it right,” Bair said
As the volunteers tie the quilts, the men roll the quilts so they can have better access to the center.
Other volunteers bind the blankets once tied, and the quilts are ready to go.
Every week, the group creates around 17 quilts. It's only possible thanks to the volunteers who come week after week.
“I cannot take care of the whole world. but I can do something every Tuesday to help," LeAnn Powell said.
“It's heart wrenching when you see so many people give their time and their talents to come and do this every week,” Bair said. “It's always touching to see when you're when you make a difference in someone's life.”
The people who come don’t seem to mind the work. For many of them, the project also provides a community.
“It's not just about the quilts. Bair said. "It's about the relationships that are built with the people.”
Killian said that everyone works and they sew and they talk. She added that "it's a wonderful thing."
The humanitarian center delivers the quilts to those in need around the world.
“It's so gratifying to know that these quilts are going all over the world and will keep someone warm and they're made with love,” Killian said.
Nothing is wasted from the project. Even the scraps go to making rag rugs, stuffed animals and footballs.
“Who else would do all this? Not too many people,” Killian said.
Through the efforts of these people, the project hopes to keep going for many more years.
“My guys understand the only way they get out of it’s dying,” Bair said jokingly.