RSVP Handcraft volunteers knit, sew and crochet items. Volunteers create items in groups or at home during their own free time. These items are donated to social service agencies to provide help to those in need within our own community. Items include hats, mittens, quilts, cancer turbans, lap robes, baby layettes and much more. Each year volunteers create thousands of comfort items to help their neighbors keep warm through Wisconsin winters. If you have enjoy sewing, knitting, crocheting or other forms of needle work, your talents can be put to good use to help your neighbors. We have several groups in La Crosse and Monroe counties that meet to create items, as well as individual volunteers who enjoy making donations in their free time at home.

Gundersen Lutheran and RSVP are collaborating on a new sustainability sewing project, a program that recycles Gundersen’s blue sterile surgical wrap. Over 22 thousand pounds of surgical wrap is used each year in the hospital for the sterilization process of surgical instruments, and each sheet of blue wrap can only be used for the sterilization process once. This is Gundersen’s cleanest waste stream, and although it behaves like a fabric, the product is really a #5 plastic. The reuse of this product is even better than recycling, and with RSVP’s help, Gundersen will be able to reuse this blue wrap for tote bags, craft bags, aprons, small cinch bags, and wheelchair/walker bags. Please consider joining this new handcraft collaboration and providing much needed items to Gundersen while making a serious impact on the sustainability initiatives of our community and local environment.

Please contact Amanda at RSVP, 608.785.0500, to find out how you can get involved in any of our handcraft programs.