Sometimes, a favorite pillow is just the thing you need for comfort.�
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Children who have visited Gateway 
have been the grateful recipients of travel size pillows since 2008.� A special group of women have made and donated over 1600 of these special pillows to Gateway over the last 13 years!
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Pillow Hugs is a ministry of Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood. The Pillow Hugs Ministry meets approximately three times a year on Saturdays for six hours to lovingly make these comfort pillows, given to children in 15 shelters and agencies that deal with child protection.� The kid-prints are bright and fun for children that need a little sunshine in their lives, and when they leave the shelter, they take their pillow with them.� Gateway was the very first agency to benefit from the pillows.
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The ladies bring their own sewing machines and work in an assembly line.� Over 40 women are currently volunteering, but the program started out with just five women.�Their program receives no outside funding, and they rely solely on donations and an annual craft fair (not an option in Covid) to cover the $9 cost of the finished pillow (fabric and the pillow).
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Gateway is very grateful to these special women who give their time and talents to kids in crisis.
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Would you like to help?� Here are three ways you can assist this group:
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- Donate kid-friendly fabric. Fabric needs to be 100% cotton and a novelty print.� The minimum size is 18� by 30�.� The bands are solid color, 10�x30�.� You can drop the fabric off at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood (9 am � 1 pm, Monday through Thursday).
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- Donate gift cards to fabric stores (Joann�s or Hobby Lobby) or donate cash to buy fabric.
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- Sew! You can sew with the group, or sew on your own. It takes approximately 30 minutes to make a pillowcase, and directions can be found at http://www.soth.net.
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Contact the coordinator (link to joann.pillowhugs@gmail.com) to donate fabric or cash/gift cards, or to volunteer. �Pillow Hugs is a 501c3 organization, so all donations are tax deductible.
