"When you wrap a child in a blanket, it's like you are giving them a HUG!"
"When you wrap a child in a blanket, it's like you are giving them a HUG!"
Every child deserves to have their very own special blanket ...
Shirley J. King
8652 Elk Way
Elk Grove, CA 95624
phone: (916) 685-9660
8652 Elk Way
Elk Grove, CA 95624
phone: (916) 685-9660
International charity in Elk Grove wraps children in love
Gramma's Hugs donates blankets to children in need
By Katie Freeman - Lifestyle & Arts Editor
Published: Thursday, April 30, 2009 3:45 PM PDT
Shirley King's home décor isn't for everybody. Stuffed bears, beanie babies in mini homemade sleeping bags, and yards of fabrics are everywhere in her home and office. She lives in a comfortable, established neighborhood near Old Town Elk Grove. In front of her house a large cherry tree dusts her small green yard with its pink petals. Next to her front door sits an antiqued box. She opens one side of the wide oak double doors at the entrance of her home and the headquarters for her non-profit organization Gramma's Hugs International. King tilts her chin slightly downward as her mouth curls up into a big welcoming smile.
Immediately walking into her home you might take note of the room to the left. The room looks as though it was meant to be a formal dining and sitting room, now converted into the "shipping department" of her international 501 3C non-profit. Her foyer is crowded with boxes of fabric, donations, and blankets that King and other volunteers have sewn.
She generously offers water, iced tea or soda to drink as we take a seat in her living room. A crystal dish sits on the table between us. It's filled with Tootsie Rolls and hard candies; just like her Gramma's Hugs goodie bags containing her brochure, business card and a never expiring coupon for a free hug. Family photos and pictures decorate her walls, countertops and bookshelves. Three generations of babies have their pictures in various small, round or square frames around her entire home.
King is a great-grandmother at age 76. She plays the doting grandmother role well. Her love for babies and children stretches beyond her own family.
She sews and distributes blankets for poor children all around the world as the focal service provided by Gramma's Hugs, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on April 26, 2009.
King wants every child to have their own blanket to curl-up under at night. The blanket is like getting a hug from Gramma.
"I'm Gramma and I'm a big hugger," she said. "The blanket around them is my hug."
Gramma's Hugs blankets and supplies go orphanages, women's shelter and impoverished communities in need.
They're primarily interested in donating supplies for newborn to school age children. But if the facility has all ages, then everybody gets a blanket, she said.
Gramma's Hugs have donated items to 28 countries on five continents.
"This year we distributed 100,000 items," King said.
"Hugs Helpers," as King calls her volunteers, assist in cutting fabric, sewing and sorting items for shipping. However, King said she does most of the sewing herself.
Her career background illustrates her various interests and intense love for life.
King was a schoolteacher in Hawaii and then worked in the Texas oil industry.
In 2000 she ended her stint working on cruise ships and moved to Elk Grove because she had family in the area. King said she couldn't find a job.
"The trouble of it is, once you reach 70 nobody wants to know your answers to any questions or they don't have questions, so you can't find work," she said.
She didn't consider retiring. King had already been sewing and donating blankets for many years. She decided to do that on a larger scale and make a career out of it.
"I'm not really an unproductive type," she said.
As the founder and director of the non-profit, King's productivity is evident when looking at her home office.
She does not have one room in her house for a home office- she has four.
"I remodeled my house to make it more Gramma's Hugs friendly," she said.
In addition to her shipping department and her crowded entryway, King has other departments in her home she distinguishes with official sounding names.
She converted her breakfast area into an office, with a computer and of course, more baby photos. A table stacked with miniature sleeping bags for the little toys she sends to children blocks the sliding glass door to her backyard. King uses fabric remnants to sew tiny sleeping bags so even her stuffed toys can be wrapped in a hug.
The room off of the hallway is "Gramma's Hugs Factory," she said.
On the door of her factory is a picture of a young African boy named Moses sleeping with one of her blankets.
"I call him my poster boy," she said.
Kings makes the 10 by 10 foot room run with the efficiency of a factory. On a table she has a serger with three spools of thread. A bag under the machine collects shreds of fabric that she donates to local quilters for stuffing. Shelves on the walls and storage units stacked-up from the floor are packed with mini stuffed toys, beanie babies and dolls. Plastic drawers are filled with toiletries that King collects from hotels and donations. The toiletries are for what King calls "belongings bags." Inside the drawstring bags, she puts shampoo, lotion, soap and a washrag.
"I just sent some to Uganda and South Africa," she said about the bags.
Children in impoverished countries will make use of the bags as well as the personal cleaning supplies.
For children in the rest of the world, there's no place to put their belongings, she said. "Children are lucky to have a bed that they can have to themselves, most often they share the bed even," King said. "These are big enough where they can put their clothes, their blanket and if I send them a little animal they can put them all in there."
Kings has learned a lot about global climates from her international non-profit. The fabric she uses depends on where the blanket is going.
Kings uses a breathable cotton flannel for the hot Middle East instead of a fleece or woolen fabric. In colder countries she uses heavier fleeces and doubles up on the polyester materials.
Weather isn't the only factor to consider. King has to be careful of cultural taboos in certain countries where she sends the stuffed toys.
"There are some countries where you wouldn't dare send things like pigs," King said.
Even when animals are not taboo, they many not be recognized by the children.
"There are some countries that don't even have things like cows and chickens. It's ducks and geese, like in China," she said.
Although there is sensitivity involved in the packaging of donations, King likes to have fun when choosing printed fabrics for blankets.
"This dinosaur print I really love," she said about a fabric she used to make a lot of blankets.
Some blankets she donates to charities in the U.S. because they are delicate fabrics. People in other countries don't necessarily have washing machines, she said.
"Most of the countries, any washing that's done is done on rocks in streams," King said. "Most of these blankets will never be washed, they'll just be dragged around until they're rags."
If they don't even have a change of clothes to launder, they're certainly not going to worry about the blankets, she said.
Although running Gramma's Hugs exposes King to a dose of world cultures, she wasn't naive about other countries when she started the non-profit.
King has traveled to 84 countries and learned a lot about the world.
"That's what's so great about travel," she said.
Although she doesn't deliver her Gramma's Hugs packages in person, (a couple in Elk Grove pays for her shipping), King said it is the most rewarding job of her life.
Finding who to send the boxes to was the easy part, she said.
"There's such need all over the world," King said. "Especially in Africa, there is such a large percentage of the orphanages there where the children's parents died of AIDS."
She is currently getting ready to pack-up a shipment of donations for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Gramma's Hugs is funded by donations from Elk Grove community members, board members and online donations.
The Elk Grove Setoma, a national service club, recently named King outstanding citizen of the year.
King said she sometimes gets emotional when hearing the upsetting stories of poor children sleeping without blankets. She heard about three children in Zambia who shared the same small, dirty blanket every night.
"I just cried and cried," she said. "It hurt my feelings."
King received thousands of stuffed toys she can give to needy children and brighten their days.
She picked-up a little toy and demonstrated how she wraps them in the sleeping bags she makes.
"You're so sweet," she said to a little stuffed toy in a sleeping bag.
Being in King's stuffed-toy packed home, was like being at Gramma's; warm, comfy and full of joy.
Gramma's Hugs donates blankets to children in need
By Katie Freeman - Lifestyle & Arts Editor
Published: Thursday, April 30, 2009 3:45 PM PDT
Shirley King's home décor isn't for everybody. Stuffed bears, beanie babies in mini homemade sleeping bags, and yards of fabrics are everywhere in her home and office. She lives in a comfortable, established neighborhood near Old Town Elk Grove. In front of her house a large cherry tree dusts her small green yard with its pink petals. Next to her front door sits an antiqued box. She opens one side of the wide oak double doors at the entrance of her home and the headquarters for her non-profit organization Gramma's Hugs International. King tilts her chin slightly downward as her mouth curls up into a big welcoming smile.
Immediately walking into her home you might take note of the room to the left. The room looks as though it was meant to be a formal dining and sitting room, now converted into the "shipping department" of her international 501 3C non-profit. Her foyer is crowded with boxes of fabric, donations, and blankets that King and other volunteers have sewn.
She generously offers water, iced tea or soda to drink as we take a seat in her living room. A crystal dish sits on the table between us. It's filled with Tootsie Rolls and hard candies; just like her Gramma's Hugs goodie bags containing her brochure, business card and a never expiring coupon for a free hug. Family photos and pictures decorate her walls, countertops and bookshelves. Three generations of babies have their pictures in various small, round or square frames around her entire home.
King is a great-grandmother at age 76. She plays the doting grandmother role well. Her love for babies and children stretches beyond her own family.
She sews and distributes blankets for poor children all around the world as the focal service provided by Gramma's Hugs, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on April 26, 2009.
King wants every child to have their own blanket to curl-up under at night. The blanket is like getting a hug from Gramma.
"I'm Gramma and I'm a big hugger," she said. "The blanket around them is my hug."
Gramma's Hugs blankets and supplies go orphanages, women's shelter and impoverished communities in need.
They're primarily interested in donating supplies for newborn to school age children. But if the facility has all ages, then everybody gets a blanket, she said.
Gramma's Hugs have donated items to 28 countries on five continents.
"This year we distributed 100,000 items," King said.
"Hugs Helpers," as King calls her volunteers, assist in cutting fabric, sewing and sorting items for shipping. However, King said she does most of the sewing herself.
Her career background illustrates her various interests and intense love for life.
King was a schoolteacher in Hawaii and then worked in the Texas oil industry.
In 2000 she ended her stint working on cruise ships and moved to Elk Grove because she had family in the area. King said she couldn't find a job.
"The trouble of it is, once you reach 70 nobody wants to know your answers to any questions or they don't have questions, so you can't find work," she said.
She didn't consider retiring. King had already been sewing and donating blankets for many years. She decided to do that on a larger scale and make a career out of it.
"I'm not really an unproductive type," she said.
As the founder and director of the non-profit, King's productivity is evident when looking at her home office.
She does not have one room in her house for a home office- she has four.
"I remodeled my house to make it more Gramma's Hugs friendly," she said.
In addition to her shipping department and her crowded entryway, King has other departments in her home she distinguishes with official sounding names.
She converted her breakfast area into an office, with a computer and of course, more baby photos. A table stacked with miniature sleeping bags for the little toys she sends to children blocks the sliding glass door to her backyard. King uses fabric remnants to sew tiny sleeping bags so even her stuffed toys can be wrapped in a hug.
The room off of the hallway is "Gramma's Hugs Factory," she said.
On the door of her factory is a picture of a young African boy named Moses sleeping with one of her blankets.
"I call him my poster boy," she said.
Kings makes the 10 by 10 foot room run with the efficiency of a factory. On a table she has a serger with three spools of thread. A bag under the machine collects shreds of fabric that she donates to local quilters for stuffing. Shelves on the walls and storage units stacked-up from the floor are packed with mini stuffed toys, beanie babies and dolls. Plastic drawers are filled with toiletries that King collects from hotels and donations. The toiletries are for what King calls "belongings bags." Inside the drawstring bags, she puts shampoo, lotion, soap and a washrag.
"I just sent some to Uganda and South Africa," she said about the bags.
Children in impoverished countries will make use of the bags as well as the personal cleaning supplies.
For children in the rest of the world, there's no place to put their belongings, she said. "Children are lucky to have a bed that they can have to themselves, most often they share the bed even," King said. "These are big enough where they can put their clothes, their blanket and if I send them a little animal they can put them all in there."
Kings has learned a lot about global climates from her international non-profit. The fabric she uses depends on where the blanket is going.
Kings uses a breathable cotton flannel for the hot Middle East instead of a fleece or woolen fabric. In colder countries she uses heavier fleeces and doubles up on the polyester materials.
Weather isn't the only factor to consider. King has to be careful of cultural taboos in certain countries where she sends the stuffed toys.
"There are some countries where you wouldn't dare send things like pigs," King said.
Even when animals are not taboo, they many not be recognized by the children.
"There are some countries that don't even have things like cows and chickens. It's ducks and geese, like in China," she said.
Although there is sensitivity involved in the packaging of donations, King likes to have fun when choosing printed fabrics for blankets.
"This dinosaur print I really love," she said about a fabric she used to make a lot of blankets.
Some blankets she donates to charities in the U.S. because they are delicate fabrics. People in other countries don't necessarily have washing machines, she said.
"Most of the countries, any washing that's done is done on rocks in streams," King said. "Most of these blankets will never be washed, they'll just be dragged around until they're rags."
If they don't even have a change of clothes to launder, they're certainly not going to worry about the blankets, she said.
Although running Gramma's Hugs exposes King to a dose of world cultures, she wasn't naive about other countries when she started the non-profit.
King has traveled to 84 countries and learned a lot about the world.
"That's what's so great about travel," she said.
Although she doesn't deliver her Gramma's Hugs packages in person, (a couple in Elk Grove pays for her shipping), King said it is the most rewarding job of her life.
Finding who to send the boxes to was the easy part, she said.
"There's such need all over the world," King said. "Especially in Africa, there is such a large percentage of the orphanages there where the children's parents died of AIDS."
She is currently getting ready to pack-up a shipment of donations for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Gramma's Hugs is funded by donations from Elk Grove community members, board members and online donations.
The Elk Grove Setoma, a national service club, recently named King outstanding citizen of the year.
King said she sometimes gets emotional when hearing the upsetting stories of poor children sleeping without blankets. She heard about three children in Zambia who shared the same small, dirty blanket every night.
"I just cried and cried," she said. "It hurt my feelings."
King received thousands of stuffed toys she can give to needy children and brighten their days.
She picked-up a little toy and demonstrated how she wraps them in the sleeping bags she makes.
"You're so sweet," she said to a little stuffed toy in a sleeping bag.
Being in King's stuffed-toy packed home, was like being at Gramma's; warm, comfy and full of joy.
