8 September 2018 |
FeAture
Kilauea Kreations in Hilo gives back to the community
gathering place for quilters
and seamstresses, Kilauea
Kreations in Hilo has inspired
creativity in the community
since it first opened its
doors more than 11 years ago on Manono
Street across from Hawaiian Style Café. The
creativity has been flowing in recent weeks
when the store spearheaded a charity drive
to donate handmade quilts to lava evacuees
in Puna.
The effort yielded hundreds of donations from
across the state and the country, said Leimomi
Beaudet, store manager.
“I was watching the progress on the tiny
homes and thought about how a quilt can
make a house a home. We put forth the idea
and didn’t anticipate the response we got. We
got calls from groups on the mainland, and
several guilds from O‘ahu fl ew over to bring
dozens of quilts and stuffed bears they handsewed.
The Maui guild came over, too, and the
quilters group in Ka‘u donated as well.”
The store delivered more than 300 quilts to the
people in Puna at the Sacred Hearts tiny homes,
the Keaau shelter, and most recently the Pahoa
shelter. “It was fun to watch each person’s eyes
light up when we gave them their quilts,” she
said. “They could feel the love put into the
quilts. We still have a handful of quilts for the
upcoming tiny homes to donate.”