Members of the Rip ’N’ Sew Club of Sun City West believe in giving back to the community and making a difference. They do this every month through donations of quilts, children’s clothes, toys and other items across the Valley and beyond.

In July, peanut butter joined the list at HART Pantry and grocery gift cards have been added during this holiday season. Gift card collecting will continue through Dec. 20. 

Rip ’N’ Sew Club member Jolene Piaskowski figured out how to turn her handmade greeting cards into weekend food for at-risk hungry teens.

Fellow members of the Sun City West club buy Piaskowski’s cards. She uses the donations to buy jars of peanut butter for HART (Helping At Risk Teens) Pantry. The faith-based charity offers weekend food bags to teens who do not have enough food when school is not in session. The pantry distributes more than 200 food bags each weekend.

Under Piaskowski’s direction, Rip ’N’ Sew had a peanut butter and jelly drive for the pantry in July. She knew the pantry needed more food items, but she didn’t want to mount another PB&J drive. So she took a different approach.

With the Rip ’N’ Sew Board’s approval, she makes hand-crafted greeting cards and offers them in the club for a donation. 

“These cards will go on as long as I can make them, per the board,” she said. “I have enough paper just like you have enough fabric, so yes, making them is on my agenda. When I have them ready, I put the cards on a cutting table with a sign about them.”

All proceeds will be used to purchase peanut butter for the HART Panty, she said.

The members get a homemade card, Piaskowski is able to get rid of her stash of  paper and the HART Pantry gets what it needs to support teens.

Club members donated $80 for the first boxes of cards in August. 

“We gave the HART Pantry seven cases of peanut butter — a total of 84 jars,” Piaskowski said of the $80 raised through donations for her cards. “We did receive a nice thank you from the pantry.” 

For more information about HART Pantry or to donate, visit www.hartpantry.org or call 252-259-5331.

See the “About” page on the Rip ’N’ Sew website for information about the club and a video tour of the clubroom: ripsew.scwclubs.com/about-location.