Ten Years of Comfort: Made With Love Celebrates a Decade of Handmade Kindness

Ten years ago, a small group of volunteers started gathering to tie fleece blankets for neighbors in need. Today, Made With Love (MWL) has become one of the most heartfelt traditions on the island, and its 10-year numbers show how much a little time and a lot of heart can add up to.

Founded and coordinated by Donna Porritt, MWL brings handmade comfort to underserved and under-appreciated neighbors on Johns and Wadmalaw islands. The all-volunteer group includes full- and part-time residents of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns Island, plus a handful of crafters across the country who make items at home and mail them in.

Over its first decade, MWL has:

  • Delivered more than 33,600 handmade items, including 4,218 blankets, 8,826 greeting cards, 4,103 totes and book bags, and more than 2,000 braided dog pulls for pet rescues

  • Distributed over 15,400 toiletries and nearly 5,300 books

  • Made 342 deliveries to schools, churches and nonprofits

  • Logged more than 23,400 volunteer hours across 434 Friday work sessions, averaging 54 volunteers each month

Those gifts have reached elementary students (helping kids connect reading with comfort), clients of the North Charleston Veteran Center, new moms and babies through Our Lady of Mercy, seniors through Meals on Mondays and Blessing Baskets, art students at St. Johns High School, and, most recently, families served by Children's Cancer Partners.

The group has grown well beyond fleece, too. Sewists, knitters, crocheters and former scrapbookers now all have a place at the table, which is why the weekly gatherings are called Fleece+ Fridays. And nothing goes to waste: this past season, MWL passed along 23 bags of leftover fabric, paper and notions to the St. Johns High School art department.

Of all the thank-you notes the group has received, one moment stands out. A Vietnam veteran, handed a red, white and blue fleece blanket after a counseling session, told volunteers through tears, "I thought we'd been forgotten."

KICA is proud to have supported MWL since the beginning with meeting space at Beachwalker Center, storage and administrative help. Congratulations to Donna and the Leadership Team (Joanne Allen, Sally Reed and Jeanne Spray), and to every volunteer who has shared their time and talent.

Learn more about MWL’s ten years of giving in their 2025-2026 annual report.

Want to get involved? No experience is needed. Drop in to Fleece+ Fridays, most Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon at Beachwalker Center, pick up a take-home kit, or donate fleece, cotton fabric, 14x14 pillow inserts or travel-size toiletries. Learn more here.

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