By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Chroma Quilting of Hays has launched the 75 Beds in 75 Days project that seeks to assemble bedding for a veterans housing community being built in Wichita.
Passageways, a Wichita nonprofit has helped homeless men for years, but now is seeking to assist veteran families with this new housing addition. Passageways is currently raising money for the land for the Homefront Veteran Neighborhood. The organization is waiting on platting.
Initially, 15 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom homes are set to be built.
The housing development will also have a chapel, animal park for service animals, community garden, memorial park and playground.
A resource center and community center will be located outside of the development and also be available to serve other veterans in the community.
The homes in the development will need to be fully furnished.
Amanda Legleiter, owner of Chroma Quilting in Hays, heard about the project and agreed to spearhead a donation drive to supply the bedding for all of the initial 30 homes.
Legleiter has created an online sign-up form where people can volunteer to piece together quilt tops or to donate bedding. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f48acae2ea1f58-75beds
The list of needs are below:
• New or gently used queen sheets sets
• New or gently used twin sheet sets
• Standard pillows, new in packaging
• Queen waterproof mattress pads
• Twin waterproof mattress pads
• Patriotic or gender neutral fabric for making quilt tops
• Queen-size patriotic quilt tops (Chroma Quilting will quilt)
• Twin-size gender neutral quilt tops (Chroma Quilting will quilt)
• Queen-size patriotic quilt completed (quilted not tied)
• Twin-size gender neutral completed quilt (quilted not tied)
• Gift cards for supplies or bedding.
"It could be as easy as a $5 pillow," Legleiter said. "There is a way for everybody to give."
The donations are coming in slowly but surely. As of Thursday, Legleiter had received 14 of 105 pillow needed, six of 75 mattress pads, 19 of 75 sheet sets and six of 75 quilts, although more quilt tops are in the works.
People have also donated fabric to the cause.
Legleiter said donors do not have to be local to participate in this project. Quilt tops can be shipped to her business at 218 W. Eighth, Hays, KS 67601. There she will quilt the tops and then deliver them to Wichita.
Items can also be dropped off at the shop during shop hours between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. For more information, call 785-615-0005.
Donors can also use services such as Walmart.com or Amazon.com to have donations shipped directly to her shop.
Legleiter, 40, only opened her business about a year ago. She was working out of her basement and moved to her current location in downtown Hays in September.
This project has special meaning to Legleiter and her family. Her husband, Brian, is an Army veteran. The couple met through the American Legion Riders. The family regularly gives to and volunteers for veterans causes, she said.
"This was my way of giving back," she said.
To learn more about the Homefront Veteran Neighborhood project, go to the Passageways website, email [email protected] or call 316-721-1316.
