First of its kind in Stark County, Sew4Service looks to expand in Alliance

ALLIANCE − Sew4Service is looking for creative and service-minded people in Stark County who like to sew.

The Northeast Ohio nonprofit, founded by Lucy Kulbago in 2021, wants to add a chapter in Alliance, and is gauging support. It is currently headquartered in Wickliffe, but Kulbago expects it move to neighboring Euclid. Both towns are suburbs just east of Cleveland.

There is an informational meeting 10 a.m. Wednesday at The Commons at 405 S. Linden Ave. in Alliance.

Kulbago, a former teacher, said she wants to get a "sense" of how much community support, including volunteers, there could be for her project.

Sew4Service teaches people how to sew, quilt, crochet and knit. The group accepts and then turns fabric and yarn donations into handmade items such as blankets for local charities. The volunteer organization also sells discounted supplies.

Abigail Honaker Schroeder, director of the Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at University of Mount Union, is in charge of The Commons. The facility − formerly known as Alliance Neighborhood Center − has been transformed into place for nonprofits to offer a variety of services.

Schroeder said Sew4Service would be the first of its kind in Stark County, and perfectly fits The Commons purpose.

"We don't like to duplicate services," she said.

The Commons has welcomed at least eight tenants, including a StarkFresh grocery store and Alliance YWCA clothing store, since the facility's opening in late 2022. Beacon Charitable Pharmacy, Stark County TASC and Alliance Area Habitat for Humanity are newer additions, Schroeder said.

Schroeder said Sew4Service would offer a "great skill to learn" for the community and Mount Union students, who already are involved in charitable causes. The agency's charity kits provide the materials needed to make a blanket or quilt for charity, Kulbago said.

Kulbago said her nonprofit offers sewing classes across Northeast Ohio, and would in Alliance. A resident who wanted a class connected Sew4Service with Schroeder. From there, the opportunity to expand at The Commons was offered.

This would mark the first time Sew4Service expanded full-time operations into another community, and could be a blueprint for more expansions, Kulbago said.

"To financially support these programs, we have the retail shop where we sell fabric and yarn, and sewing supplies, to cover our overhead costs," Kulbago said. "We need volunteers to actually be there and run the retail shop. So this meeting is to just see the support."

If it goes well, Sew4Service could be the next tenant at The Commons.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sew4Service, a nonprofit, seeks Alliance expansion