Quilts That Care

Quilts That Care is a Waterbury-based nonprofit organization that makes and donates quilts to cancer patients at 20 Connecticut facilities, including The Harold Leever Regional Cancer Center.

The Quilts That Care mission is to “wrap cancer patients and their families in comfort and hope, one quilt at a time,” so cancer patients know someone is thinking of them and they are not alone.

Each quilt is handmade by a single group member or a team of group members. Some quilts are created with a specific patient in mind, featuring a favorite color or hobby, but all are lovingly created for the same purpose—to provide warmth and comfort to those undergoing cancer treatment.

Quilts That Care was founded in August 2012, when the husband of the founder, Deborah Van Steenbergen, was undergoing cancer treatment at the Leever Cancer Center. Deborah was disheartened to see so many patients going to and from treatment alone and wanted to help bring comfort to those going through so much. So she combined her passion for quilting with her drive to help and Quilts That Care was born.

The group has grown to over 100 volunteers who have collectively donated over 7,000 quilts to individuals undergoing cancer treatment in 19 facilities in Connecticut. For more information on Quilts That Care, visit https://quiltsthatcare.org or call 860-782-1043.