These Portland-area hospice patients need goods. Do you know how to knit or sew?

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Dust off those sewing machines or grab a knitting needle because Positive Charge! PDX is inviting Portland-area folks to help those in hospice.

The Stitches for Hospice project calls on Portland metro-area crafters — from beginner to expert — to sew or knit adult clothing protectors (bibs) and catheter bag covers for terminally ill neighbors and folks being served by hospice programs.

The due date to turn in items is extended until April 19.

“As a retired hospice social worker, I’ve seen firsthand over many years how fragile dignity can be in the final months and weeks of a person’s life. I wanted to do something that would enhance that dignity and brought the idea to Positive Charge! PDX. With a history of amplifying kindness with ‘crafting for causes’ projects—they ran with it,” said Maggie Alberton, a donor to the program.

Alberton managed to secure free fabric for the project, which can be picked up in Southwest Portland by emailing info@positivechargepdx.org. 

Free, easy patterns are available on the Positive Charge! PDX website. Completed projects can be dropped off at special bins throughout the area until April 19. 

Special requests will be made on the project webpage, and items are to be put in a plastic bag before being dropped in the bins.

Drop off locations are at:

• Butterfly Effect Art Space, 7829 S.W. Capitol Highway.
• Basics Market, 6344 S.W. Capitol Highway. 
• Driftwood Coffee, 4604 S.W. Vermont St.
• Garden Home Community Library, 7475 S.W. Oleson Road. 
• Hillsdale Library, 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd. 
• Montavilla Sewing Centers, 8326 S.E. Stark St., Portland; 4955 S.W. Western Ave., Beaverton; 429 S.W. First St., Lake Oswego. 

According to the Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association, “Hospice care focuses on quality of life when a cure is not possible or the burden of treatment outweighs the benefits.”

Rabbi Sarah Rensin, a community member involved in planning the project, and as the Jewish chaplain for hospices of the Greater Portland area, she advocates for hospice.

“I wish more people understood the value of hospice and how it can benefit an individual at the end of life. Hospice brings a whole extra layer of care as well as enhanced quality of life for both the patients and those who love them,” Rensin said in a statement.

“Helping to retain someone’s dignity at this stage of life with little things like a clothing protector or catheter bag cover is a gift, pure and simple.”

Positive Charge! PDX is a Portland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to making a positive impact through community-driven initiatives

For more information, visit positivechargepdx.org/hospice.