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Salvation Stitchers sew their way toward helping local patients

November 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Salvation Stitchers, an Orangeville knitting group, is putting their skills toward crafting hats and pouches for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the community.

Founded approximately 15 years ago by Betty McCutcheon, a member of the Salvation Army Church, the idea for the group originally began as a small sewing group intended to teach church members how to sew. It eventually grew into a larger community effort, with volunteers using their skills and donated materials to respond to requests from organizations across the region and beyond.

“Well, originally the pastors we had at the time were young, and they had two young daughters,” McCutcheon said. “The wife wanted to learn to sew, and the daughters wanted to learn to sew, so we started with them, a little group. Then we expanded out, and we had a children’s sewing group. So we were teaching kids how to sew, and then it expanded out to what we have here.”

The sewing group has donated more than 40,000 handmade items to local organizations and charitable causes, with its total approaching 45,000 items to date.

The group brings together around 20 volunteers, including members who work from home, to turn donated fabric and other materials into practical items for people in need. Its latest project includes making chemotherapy caps for hospital patients, expanding on its existing work producing items to support people undergoing cancer treatment.

Today, the group supports a wide range of causes, including long-term care homes, hospice services, shelters, food banks and organizations supporting children and families. Its projects have included quilts, fidget blankets, tote bags, backpacks, pencil cases, children’s clothing and pet beds for local animal shelters.

The Salvation Stitchers also contributes to international charitable efforts through Sew on Fire Ministries in Burlington, which distributes handmade items to communities around the world.

For McCutcheon, the group’s approach is straightforward: identify a need and determine whether the volunteers can help meet it.

“What we do depends on what the needs are and depends on what fabrics we have on hand at the time,” she said. “We try to match those two things together and come up with some useful items.”

The Salvation Stitchers make baby and children’s items, including diapers and sanitary napkins, which are donated to Sew on Fire for distribution to children who lack clothing and other necessities.

“Here in the community, we’ve had one couple, an older couple, who would cut out the quilts and lay them out on the floor, and his wife would sew them together. I mean, they did over 100 quilt tops. We still haven’t got them all quilted, but we will,” McCutcheon said. “If you get a whole batch of, say, heavier fabrics, well, we can make tote bags out of those. Then we can make pencil cases. Then we can make all of these things. So it just depends mostly on what we have on hand and what the needs are in the community.”

That philosophy has also shaped the group’s work supporting cancer patients. After McCutcheon’s husband underwent chemotherapy, she recognized an opportunity to improve on the small cotton bag he had received to carry his treatment equipment. The group began making chemotherapy pouches, eventually producing hundreds.

Now, the volunteers are turning their attention to chemotherapy caps, while also exploring other items that could benefit hospital patients.

The group relies heavily on donations, with most of its materials coming from members of the public and volunteers who contribute supplies from their own collections. It is currently seeking yarn, cotton fabric, flannel and quilt batting, along with donations of portable sewing machines in good working condition.

Beyond its charitable work, the group offers an opportunity for people to learn a new skill and build friendships. McCutcheon welcomes newcomers, regardless of whether they belong to the Salvation Army, and is happy to teach those interested in sewing.

“We always need more ladies, and we take men too,” she said. “If you can sew, come on in. We need knitters, we need crocheters. You do not have to be a member of the Salvation Army. This is a helpful group, a good group that welcomes everybody and anybody.”

McCutcheon added, “It’s a little community. It’s a little support system, which is a really important thing for seniors, because there’s a lot of loneliness out there, and a lot of people haven’t got a regular, steady place that they know to look forward to.”

The group meets twice a month and is open to anyone willing to contribute, including men, knitters and crocheters.

With thousands of items already distributed, the Salvation Stitchers continue to put their skills to work, one project at a time, helping local organizations provide comfort and practical support to people who need it.

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