Jun 8, 2018 4 min read

Nina Thompson was having dinner at Jody Morgan’s house in November when she asked the other guests to draw designs on the paper bags she uses to package donated items for her Pillows for Peace project.

As the guests obliged, Jody, a second-grade teacher at Avella Elementary School, asked Nina about Pillows for Peace. Nina, 13, explained that she and her grandmother, Mary, collect pillows, piollow protectors and handmade pillowcases as well as toiletries, toys, bath towels, wash cloths and other items to give to women and children staying in Washington Women’s Shelter.

Jody was so moved by the project, she suggested that the elementary school choose it as their community service project this school year. Her goal was to collect enough items to donate 100 pillows and gift bags to the shelter.

Nina was thrilled the school would be helping, but thought there was no way they’d reach their goal.

She was right. They surpassed it, collecting enough items and monetary donations to donate 125 bags.

“Your drive was the largest one-time effort from any group. The kindness that came from this school district is almost unbelievable,” Nina told the students during an assembly on the last day of school Tuesday. “Although we never see the children, the workers assure us they are thrilled by the bags. For many, it is all they have. You will never know how much I appreciate you allowing me to continue with this project.”

The shelter, run by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, is available 24 hours a day to women and their children who are victims of domestic violence.

Allison Weakland, a counselor, advocate and education specialist with Domestic Violence Services, said that the items are a great comfort. Before Nina’s donations started coming in, women and their children were given used items like pillows and towels that they had to return. Now, they receive new pillows and cases, a towel and washcloth that has been washed and is ready for use, toiletries including a brush and toothbrush, and age-appropriate activities for infants to teens.

“(Nina) keeps us well-supplied, so now, they can take stuff with them. It’s a more welcoming feeling for them,” Weakland said. “We are meeting families not under the best circumstances. Sometimes, depending on the circumstance, they may have had to leave behind everything, and they may not ever be able to go back. So to be able to start to replace some of their items makes a big difference.”

Mary said she and Nina came up with the idea soon after Nina moved in with Mary. They were sitting in bed one night and Nina asked what happened to children who didn’t have a grandma to go to.

Nina wanted to do something for those kids, so she and Mary started thinking of what someone would need if they had to suddenly had to leave their homes. At first, they purchased pillowcases and all the items to go along with them. When people found out about their project, congregants from Davidson United Methodist Church started donating supplies and a some from Grace United Methodist Church started sewing the pillowcases. Nina started sewing water-resistant mesh bags that she uses to package the toiletries.

As word spreads, the project continues to grow larger than Nina could have ever imagined. So far, she and Mary have donated 240 Pillows for Peace. Nina’s working with a bank to establish Pillows for Peace as a 501©(3) nonprofit because so many organizations want to help.

Mary said her granddaughter, who is a high-honors student entering ninth grade at Bentworth, is meticulous with donations. She used her own money to make informational posters about the program and for the certificate she presented to Avella Elementary Tuesday.

Nina even insisted she use her own money for the nonprofit application.

“She told me, ‘People want their money to go to the kids,'” said Mary.

Jody agreed that students and their families were passionate about donating to the cause, including Jean Belski, Deb Febmia, Karen Ghrist, Maryanne McCracken and Paula Shaw, who provided the fabric and made all of the cases for the Avella donations.

“Our kids and their families are so generous,” Jody said. “The kids did this instead of a gift exchange at Christmastime. They knew it was for other kids and they wanted to help.”