‘Sew’ much help for Leisure Living

By Kaitlyn Clark

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—When the Fisherville Lions made a call for residents to donate gowns to Leisure Living, the call was answered “within minutes”.

Diana Smuck was the first to take up the challenge. Smuck has known Lion Greg Awde and his wife Jean, who works at Leisure Living, for years as they have been clients of her family’s garage in Fisherville. In researching online, Smuck found she could purchase kits online to pick up from the Mill Store in Port Dover that would have everything needed to make the gowns.

“I just figured that everyone has to do their part and I’m a sewer. I’ve sewn forever,” said Smuck. “It gave me something to do. On the weekends I just listened to some music and was sewing away. It was really neat.”

Gail Mote of Dunnville responded to the call for help as well as a part of the Haldimand Norfolk: Sewing for COVID-19 group, which began on March 1, 2020. The group started with only four or five people sewing masks at the request of Mote’s friend, with everything by donation. The word spread and more donations came in, along with more sewers.