DANVILLE — Some local quilters hope to bring a bit of sunshine into the dark hours of a displaced child’s life.

Women at the Seventh-day Adventist Church have been patching together bright quilts, gathering cute stuffed animals and buying personal items, such as toothbrushes.

Then, those goodies are stuffed into a bright duffel bag and taken to the Department of Children and Family Services. The bags are given to children who have been taken from their homes.

“Hopefully, it makes a bright spot in their lives,” said Karen Steiger, who formed the Vermilion County chapter of “It’s My Very Own.”

The group is meeting under the auspices of the church’s Community Services Ministry and the bags are put together in the church fellowship room.

However, the group is open to anyone who wants to help, regardless of church membership. People also may make quilts at their homes.

Steiger first heard about the national project on the 3 Angels Broadcasting Network.

It’s My Very Own was started by Barbara Neher of Cadiz, Ky., who saw a report on the evening news about a meth bust, and she was touched by the children taken from the home.

Children taken during meth busts are not allowed to take any belongings, which might be contaminated by the chemicals used to produce methamphetamines.

Neher and her daughter came up with the idea of making quilts and placing them in a duffel bag, along with personal items and toys.

The project was named It’s My Very Own because once a child has been given a bag, it belongs to him and won’t be taken away when he goes into a foster home.

The bags are given to all children who have been displaced, not just those taken during meth busts.

After seeing the program on TV, Steiger contacted Gloria Pierce, another church member, to help. Both women know how to sew, but they had never done quilting. They’re learning as they go along.

Last December, the two women, helped by several others in the church, gave 19 duffel bags to DCFS. In March, they donated 21 more.

Now, they’re in the process of assembling more bags — all of which stay in Vermilion County.

“It can heal some emotional pain they’re going through,” Steiger said of the children who receive the bags.

The women make the 30-by-45-inch duffel bags out of any type of material that might appeal to children. The bags have a drawstring and also an outside pocket to hold toiletries.

Many of the quilts are 48-by-60 inches, while the baby quilts (for newborn to 18 months) are 36 inches by 48 inches. Some are simple designs, while others are a bit more elaborate.

Each bag is gender- and age-specific, and contains toys and toiletries appropriate for boys or girls and for certain ages.

A newborn’s bag, for example, might have a rattle, baby wash, powder and stuffed animals. A teen’s bag would have a hairbrush, deck of cards, disposable camera, and shampoo, for example.

The bags also contain a letter explaining Bags of Love.

The group has received donations from all over, including Florida and California. A donor will be given a receipt for tax purposes.

Pierce said they’ve been fortunate to find material on sale.

Items needed

The Vermilion County chapter could use shelves to store items for the Bags of Love. It also could use cash to buy goods for children, bed sheets to make the bags and material for the quilts.

Toys for boys ages 8-12 especially are needed.

Other items needed include: new toys for all age groups, $20 gift cards from Walmart, $5 phone cards, activity sets for ages 8-12, puzzles, coloring books and crayons, stationary, journals, spiral notebooks, envelopes and stamps, pens and pencils, disposable cameras.

Also, toiletries in travel size (shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby wipes, baby powder), combs for boys, hairbrushes for girls, stuffed animals (new or gently used), baby bottles and diapers (size 3).

TO HELP

To make donations of cash or items, or to help sew, call Gloria Pierce at (217) 548-2407 or Karen Steiger at (765) 762-0213.

The national group’s Web site is http://www.imvo-bags oflove.org/