Episcopal Press and News
LOUISIANA: Episcopal Communicators sew hope in New Orleans
Episcopal News Service. October 23, 2008 [102308-06]
Lisa B. Hamilton
New and used sewing machines in good condition are being sent from Episcopal Communicators throughout the Episcopal Church to New Orleans October 23 in response to a plea on behalf of people who lost their machines as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
The Communicators, members of an independent organization of communications professionals across the Church, are also spreading the word through their publications, email newsletters and websites.
It all started when Ann Ball, case manager at the Office of Disaster Response in the Diocese of Louisiana, sent an email to the Communicators' listserve with what she called "a blatant pitch to anyone who has an old machine you no longer use."
Ball, who served her diocese as editor of Churchwork for 26 years, and continues to be a "card-carrying" member of Episcopal Communicators, was delighted with the response. "They're such an enthusiastic and compassionate group of people," said Ball in an interview.
In Ball's current position, she helps people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina move back to New Orleans. "There’s still a steady stream of people returning home," she said. "We help people with everything from finding furniture to healthcare."
Ball's discovery of the extensive need for sewing machines by her clients was "a fluke."
"One day, an elderly, feisty woman told me she missed her sewing machine because it brought her 'peace of mind.' She couldn’t begin to afford one; we were trying to get her plumbing for her kitchen and bathroom."
The longer Ball listened, the more frequently she heard that "sewing machines are essential for many poorer households here, since the women not only make clothes for their own children, they also make Mardi Gras costumes and do tailoring for other people."
Social service agencies do not consider sewing machines essential, so while deserving people can receive refrigerators or beds from agencies, sewing machines remain out of reach.
Nevertheless, said Ball, "I have clients who grieve over the loss of their machines. They simply cannot replace them now because they have too many other needs for their money: increased rents, increased utilities, furniture, school uniforms, supplies, etc.
"They not only used their machines to generate income but their sewing also gave them great peace of mind and tranquility," she said.
On the "off chance" that Ball receives more sewing machines than she can distribute through the Office of Disaster Response, Margaret Jankowski, creator of The Sewing Machine Project, has promised to help.
According to its website, "The mission of the Sewing Machine Project is to give people a tool that will not only help them mend their own lives but also will give them a way to take an active role in the rebuilding of their community. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, Jankowski has made five trips from her home in Madison, Wisconsin to deliver over 350 donated machines to New Orleans." Sewing machines are distributed at Grace Episcopal Church.
On the "off-off chance" that The Sewing Machine Project is unable to distribute surplus machines, Ball will work through the diocesan partnership with the Diocese of Honduras to dispense machines "for use in cottage industries."
"I hope I can’t get to my desk because my office is overflowing with sewing machines," Ball said. "And I have no doubt that every machine will find a grateful home."
Machines may be sent to:
Ms. Ann Ball
Case Manager, Diocesan Office of Disaster Response
St. Paul's Homecoming Center
6268 Vicksburg St.
New Orleans, LA 70124
The address is valid until the end of the year.