EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — For Sharon Dubois and her friends at the Fuller Creative Learning Center, sewing, knitting and crocheting are more than just hobbies.
Dubois told NewsNation affiliate WPRI the women have been getting together weekly for the past couple of years to make blankets, quilts and pillows for those in need.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Dubois explained. “We do machine sewing, crocheting, knitting and hand sewing.”
“We sew for different charities,” she continued. “We sew for anyone who needs help.”
Each of the sewing machines at the center are named after the Golden Girls: Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia.
Like Dubois, Ann Lagarto considers herself one of the center’s own Golden Girls. She told 12 News she’s been sewing for nearly 50 years.
“Most of us have been sewing all of our lives,” Lagarto said. “We all bring different [skills] to the table.”
Fuller Creative Learning Center assistant Allison Stout said she’s always impressed by the items that the women create.
“They’re the best,” she said, referring to the women. “They work like crazy for people they don’t know or will never meet.”
Despite being in their twilight years, Stout said East Providence’s Golden Girls regularly create “stunning” pieces that put smiles on the faces of the less fortunate.
“It’s so important,” Stout added. “Every once in a while, someone will come in from one of the organizations we work with and they’re so thankful. It’s wonderful.”
The women donate the completed blankets and quilts to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Jules Hope Chest and Foster Forward.
“It makes you feel good to do something for someone that needs help,” Dubois said.
The women gather at the center every Tuesday starting at 1 p.m. and welcome others to come join them.