From heart pillows to teddy bear ballgowns

Retiree gives new life to repurposed fabrics with volunteer sewing network

Volunteers
By: AV Kitching Posted: 6:00 AM CDT Monday, Jun. 15, 2026

An old Bell MTS utility building in St. Boniface has been turned into the unofficial headquarters for a massive volunteer sewing network.

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An old Bell MTS utility building in St. Boniface has been turned into the unofficial headquarters for a massive volunteer sewing network.

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An old Bell MTS utility building in St. Boniface has been turned into the unofficial headquarters for a massive volunteer sewing network.

Sewers, knitters and crocheters faithfully turn up to transform textiles into practical items that serve varied and important purposes.

The person holding the keys to the building — and the whole operation — is Jo-Anne Pelzer.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Volunteer Jo-Anne Pelzer has dedicated herself to sewing for charity since retiring in 2010, including touch quilts for dementia patients.

The 71-year-old retired from the phone company in 2010 and has been volunteering ever since, using her sewing skills to create everything from mini ballgowns for teddy bears to dog beds for recovering pups in spay and neuter clinics.

Everything the crew makes is fashioned from repurposed clothes and fabrics and given away to agencies and charities across the province.

One of her biggest ongoing projects is making touch quilts for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba. The quilts are given to dementia patients in hospitals and care homes.

“They’re also known as fidget quilts,” Pelzer says, “made from 36 squares of fabric of different textures, some which will have embellishments on them. For somebody with Alzheimer’s or dementia; it keeps their hands busy.”

Sensory objects are sewed onto approximately six of the squares, stitching on items like button, zippers and beaded tassels, swatches of lace and leather and pockets cut out of jeans.

Pelzer has lost count of the number of items she’s made over the past 15 years. She reckons she averages about 20 touch quilts a year although one year, during an especially cold winter, she managed to make 100.

“But that was a special year and I wasn’t involved in other stuff,” she says.

“I didn’t have any other sort of volunteer sewing going on. And it was winter time and there was lots of curling on TV and I set my sewing machine up in front of my TV and I just kept sewing as the curling was on.”

These days she mostly acts as the hub, prepping kits with fabrics and giving instructions to a rotating crew of home sewers who turn up at the building — on the corner of Horace Street and Traverse Avenue — to pick up their projects.

While she may have slowed down on the quilt-making — “the last one I made was around eight months ago,” she says — that doesn’t mean she’s been slacking on the sewing front.

Far from it.

Volunteer opportunities

The following is a list of volunteer opportunities for Winnipeg and surrounding areas. For more information about these listings, contact the organization directly. Volunteer Manitoba does not place volunteers with organizations but can help people find opportunities. To learn more about its programs and services, go to wfp.to/volunteers or call 204-477-5180.

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival needs volunteers to make the annual event a success. With more than 750 volunteers needed, the festival seeks helpers able to volunteer for a minimum of four shifts (about 4-6 hours each) over the 12-day festival. Duties range from selling tickets and ushering to assisting at the Kids Fringe area, offering a great way to meet new people, help revitalize the downtown and learn about all the best shows! There are opportunities for volunteers of all ages (12-plus) to get involved from July 15 to 26. Apply online: bttr.im/dqit1 or by email: volunteers@winnipegfringe.com. Deadline is July 10.

Volunteer for Super-Spike, Western Canada’s largest outdoor volleyball tournament on July 17 & 18 at Maple Grove Rugby Park. A variety of roles are available, from tournament administration and bartenders and bar backs, to front gate, setup/tear down and more. It’s a great way to meet new people, help raise money for charities and get free access to the event once the shifts are over. Apply online: superspike.ca/volunteer. Deadline is July 1.

Arabic-speaking volunteers are needed to join Together Project’s Welcome Group Program. Together Project seeks Bengali and/or Rohingya speaking volunteers. The program matches refugee newcomers with “welcome groups” of three to five volunteers for three to six months. Volunteers receive training to provide social support to newly arrived refugees focused on language learning, finding employment, navigating city services, and building social connections. Apply online: bttr.im/a772o or learn more at togetherproject.ca/volunteer. Questions? Contact Alejandra Reverditto Galvez, Manitoba programs lead, at alejandra@togetherproject.ca or 431-557-7852. Deadline is Dec. 31.

Metropolitan Kiwanis Courts seeks gardeners to plant and care for flowers, shrubs, and seasonal plants and assist with special beautification projects. Volunteers will water, weed and deadhead garden beds, planters and hanging baskets and keep garden areas neat, safe and free of litter. Applicants must be friendly and respectful when interacting with residents and staff and be able to bend, kneel, reach, and perform light physical activity, as well as lift 20 pounds. Previous gardening experience is essential. Flexible scheduling available. Apply by email: ssader@kiwaniscourts.ca or by phone: 204-885-7701. Deadline is July 31.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg seeks mentors for its PRISM program. PRISM matches LGBTTQ+ children and youth with adults for a one-on-one mentoring relationship. The program requires volunteers to commit to one outing per week for a minimum of one year. The purpose of the program is to provide role models, foster pride and self-confidence and create intergenerational connections to discuss identity and have fun. The program is the first of its kind in Manitoba and volunteers are screened and trained before being matched. Mentors must be at least 18 years old, identify as LGBTTQ+, provide a criminal record check, references, and be trustworthy, reliable, caring, respectful, supportive, and non-judgmental. Apply online: wfp.to/iMv. Deadline is Dec. 31.

Be a part of the Manitoba Marathon by volunteering as a course marshal. Course Marshals play a critical role in ensuring participant safety and keeping the race running smoothly by directing and guiding runners along the course route, managing pedestrian and vehicle traffic at intersections and acting as a visible, friendly, and supportive presence. Training, maps, and instructions are provided in advance. Shifts are typically two to four hours, depending on location. Ages 16-plus. Apply online: wfp.to/iM4. Deadline is June 21.

Kildonan MCC Thrift Shop requires volunteers to help process clothing. Volunteers will sort and hang women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing onto racks and prepare and price clothing. An eye and appreciation for fashion as well as an ability to stand for long periods of time are needed. Shifts are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Apply online at: wfp.to/iMP. Deadline is July 31.

U-Turn Parkinson’s is looking volunteers for its exercise class. These volunteers ensure Parkinson’s-specific classes operate smoothly while bringing an encouraging and positive atmosphere to class, helping participants live their best with the disease. Volunteers assist instructors, demonstrate seated modifications, setup and clean equipment, engage with participants, and participate in events. Volunteers should be warm, friendly, and physically capable of joining the activities. Volunteers are sought Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 245 Kimberly Rd. (RISE Athletics). Apply by email: jordana@uturnpd.org or by phone: 204-510-4869. Deadline is Aug. 15.

The Canadian Red Cross needs volunteers. The Red Cross can show you how to help when disaster strikes. Apply at wfp.to/0pE, volunteer@redcross.ca or 1-844-818-2155.

Pelzer’s nimble fingers have been in other pies, namely putting together heart-shaped pillows for cardiac surgery patients. As part of the Red Heart Pillow Project, Pelzer and her crew of fellow volunteers made up of mostly Bell MTS retirees have one goal: to make about 900 pillows a year for St. Boniface Hospital.

“These aren’t decorative pillows for the living room. When someone has open-heart surgery, doctors have to split their breastbone down the middle. Afterwards, even the smallest movement — like a coughing exercise or trying to stand up — is incredibly painful. Patients need something firm to hug tightly against their chest — so every person gets a pillow,” she says.

The team has supplied the pillows to the hospital since 2010, making about 20 a week from donated fabric and stuffing the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation passes on.

If touch quilts and medical pillows weren’t enough, Pelzer also sews for the Children’s Hospital Women’s Guild. Every autumn, the hospital holds a fundraising gala where they sell Dr. Goodbear teddies dressed in fancy outfits to match the gala’s theme. This year’s theme is “ice crystal” and the volunteers are busy working on tiny versions of formal gowns for the bears that stand just under a foot tall.

True to form, all the material she’s using has been repurposed.

“Right now I’m taking apart old bridesmaid’s dresses and turning them into formal gowns,” she says, adding that she and her crew of five seamstresses are on pace to deliver 75 tiny gowns to the guild by the end of August.

Beyond the thousands of items Pelzer has helped sew, her biggest contribution might just be keeping this community space alive.

Her motivation is remarkably straightforward.

She learned to sew in a 4-H Club when she was 10-years-old, where she was taught how to sew an apron by Mrs. Booker. Decades later, Pelzer still gets a kick out of taking a plain piece of fabric and turning it into something useful to help someone out. She doesn’t seek recognition nor does she want glory.

She’s just happy to be the person who shows up every week to unlock the door.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact AV.Kitching@freepress.mb.ca

AV Kitching
Reporter

AV Kitching is an arts and life writer at the Free Press. She has been a journalist for more than two decades and has worked across three continents writing about people, travel, food, and fashion. Read more about AV.

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AV Kitching
Reporter