The Mission of The Sewing Machine Project®
The Sewing Machine Project (SMP) is a conduit for the sustainable distribution of donated sewing machines to individuals, through nonprofits whose mission is in service to underserved communities. Using these creative tools, recipients build skills along with self-confidence–nurturing creativity, expanding possibility, and improving the lives of recipients, their families and communities.
So Far...
The Sewing Machine Project was conceived in March, 2005, following the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. A BBC article on the internet gave painful details about a woman who had lost her sewing machine in the storm, a machine she’d saved for years to buy. Margaret Jankowski, the Founder of The Sewing Machine Project, was touched deeply by this story and responded by collecting donated sewing machines in Madison, Wisconsin to send to the affected regions. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in September 2005, The Sewing Machine Project’s focus shifted to that region.
The Sewing Machine Project currently works with nonprofit groups across the country offering machines and creative opportunities. Using an application process, we make donations to nonprofit groups helping people whose lives could be impacted by a sewing machine and who otherwise would not have access to these creative tools. We work with women’s shelters, libraries, after school groups and refugee resettlement efforts as well as many other community building organizations.
Locally, we partner with community centers, offering sewing classes and machines to clients designated by each center. We also offer free mending at two sites in Madison, WI and support groups around the country wishing to offer mending in their communities.
Pay It Foward
Every person receiving a machine is asked to “Pay it Forward” in a sewing-related way. This idea gives our work a ripple effect and reminds the recipients that despite their own difficult circumstances, they as individuals are important, and capable of making a positive difference in their community, giving them a renewed feeling of self-worth.
To date we have distributed over 4700 sewing machines.
We invite you to become a part of The Sewing Machine Project community. Make a donation or volunteer your time. Now, more than ever, we are searching for meaning. We hope you find it here.
