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A Ministry of Love

Posted on Dec. 3, 2007 by Judy Crow

Nancy Hilton of Athens, TX, has a heart for veterans. She wanted to show her support for our troops, so in July of 2004, she began crocheting an American flag. Three years and 97 skeins of yarn later, she has completed the project. The flag is 24’ x 13’ and weighs 43 lbs. Nancy estimates it took her 254 hours to make. If she had worked on the project continually, 8 hours a day, forty hours a week, it would have taken her a little over 6 weeks to complete.

The flag will be displayed on the Henderson County Courthouse lawn for Veteran's Day. She hopes the flag will show America's forces that they are on her heart and mind.

Eventually she may auction off the flag with the proceeds going to Love Stitchers, a nonprofit organization that Nancy founded. Throughout the past several years, over 100 volunteer Love Stitchers have helped to stitch lapghans for residents in nursing homes and patients in Veterans Affairs' hospitals. Love Stitchers receives yarn mainly from donations. Nancy and her husband Mack do two major fundraisers a year to raise money to buy yarn. She also sells homemade pies and cakes, Texas hot sauce and canned goodies at these fundraisers from ingredients donated by a local produce stand.

Mack, Nancy’s husband, is just as involved as Nancy. He takes yarn to the Love Stitchers, picks up finished afghans, takes them to nursing homes or VA hospitals and helps with fundraisers. He’s the “gopher” of the organization as Nancy says, and they couldn’t do without him.

Nancy truly has love for her country and for crochet. By combining the two, she has created a beautiful ministry of love.

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