Local ministry crafts homemade quilts for those in need

Central Point, Ore. — Comfort with Comforters hand-makes quilts and comforters for the needy and the homeless in the Rogue Valley.

The ministry’s founder, Joela Otterer, donated 46 blankets to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, for officers to keep in the back of their cruisers. Deputies use them to help reassure children when responding to emergency calls.

“We certainly want to be there to support in people’s time of need,” said Jackson County Sheriff Corey Falls. “We appreciate this. This gesture to us and we want to pass it on.”

The children are even able to keep the blanket as a gift to let them know that someone else cares about them.

Joela Oetterer’s goal is to spread a blanket of reassurance — one comforter at a time. She said, “Seeing the homeless and needy go without… I felt a calling on my heart and I just wanted to help in any small way that one person could.”

Each blanket is handmade with the hope of providing a security blanket for those in difficult situations. “A little 4-year-old boy walked up to me and he goes, ‘Can I have a blanket? I need a blanket.’ And it just warmed my heart. When we gave him on of the blankets and he jumped up and down for joy,” added Oetterer.

Along with comforters, Oetterer makes pillow cases and hygiene bags for shelters in the Rogue Valley to give to those in need. She said, “Whether it be children, women, or men, they have their own pillow cases — because in the night when you’re sleeping, that’s when you’re most alone and vulnerable. And that way, they know they are loved.”

From beginning to end, it takes about two hours to make a comforter. But for Oetterer, she said she wants to help as many people as she can, “We’ve given over 150 blankets to our local law enforcement agencies and family solutions for children.”

It’s a simple act of kindness letting people know that someone else is looking out for them.

If you’d like to help, comfort with comforters will be hosting an outreach event for our homeless veterans on October 1st.

For more information on that or to find out how you can help the group, you can visit their Comfort with Comforters Facebook page.

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