We at Clover are tremendously supportive of creative people’s efforts to assist those in need, and one of our favorite organizations is Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides “love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer ‘blanketeers.’” The second part of the group’s mission is to “provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.”

Project Linus is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, and boasts more than 400 chapters throughout the U.S. More than 3 million blankets have been delivered in the organization’s 12-year history.

The organization accepts homemade blankets that are washable, free of pins, and come from smoke-free environments. Local chapters collect and distribute blankets and also organize blanket-making events, including the nationwide Make a Blanket Day, which in 2010 will be February 20.

Quilting publications also support Project Linus. Quiltmaker Magazine has been designing quilts for Project Linus for 11 years and this year’s pattern will be published in the magazine’s January/February 2010 issue which hits newsstands December 8.

For more information on Project Linus, visit its web site. (http://www.projectlinus.org/)