
Last month the good word that a charity I helped found, KindQuilts, received its 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). I, along with the rest of the Board of Directors, have waited patiently and helplessly as we wondered where our paperwork was in IRS land.
KindQuilts is a charity that collects cotton fabric. The material is cut into squares and then assembled into easy-to-make quilt kits. The kits are given to volunteer sewers who assemble the patches of fabric into quilts. After that, the quilts are collected and delivered to hospitals. The staff distributes the quilts to sick or injured children.
KindQuilts embodies anonymous giving. The quilters never meet the fabric donors or the patients. As a member of the board, we get to hand off the quilts to the hospital staff, but we never see the patients. The only connection is if the quilter attaches a label to the quilt, letting the recipient know who made it for them. We rest knowing that a quilt somewhere comforts someone, tonight.