Quilt to aid wounded soldiers

BRANCHVILLE-The Home Economics Division of the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show is participating in the Quilt of Valor project to make quilts for wounded soldiers. The mission of the project, which began in November 2003, is "to provide all our combat wounded warriors from our nation's War on Terror wartime quilts called Quilts of Valor." As of March 2005, more than 11,400 soldiers have been wounded, many with catastrophic injuries. The quilts provide comfort to promote healing as the soldiers embark on the road to recovery. The quilts are presented to soldiers at military hospitals around the country. Home Economics Division Chairwoman Robin Casper invited the public to participate in the project either by attending workshops to be held at the fairgrounds or by contributing quilts made independently. A free workshop will be held at the fairgrounds on Saturday, April 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information on the project, including specifications on construction of the quilts, or to sign up to participate in the workshop, call Margaret Hait at 201-967-0342 or write to Lina Crowell at lina16@earthlink.net. Monetary donations will also be accepted to help cover costs of supplies and shipping. Donations may be sent to the Home Economics Division, c/o New Jersey State Fair, P.O. Box 2456, Branchville, NJ 07826-2456.