HELENA — For more than seven decades, volunteers have participated in the Arlene Mathews Sock Sew at St. Peter's Health, making holiday stockings for newborn babies in December and the hospital’s patients.
Around 35 volunteers (including me!) gathered on Monday to sew, glue, and decorate stockings.
Nan Cervenka, the community leader of the Sock Sew, says, “I think it is important to people in the community, people that have had babies keep the socks sometimes for over forty years and people that are having babies look forward to getting a sock.”
The tradition is now in its 71st year; it was created by by Arlene Matthews, who passed away in 2020, and provides a memento for new parents and their bundle of joy born from December 1st to December 31st.
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The socks are made large enough for the newborns to fit in and last holiday season there were 45 stocking babies.
Deb Hendrix, an annual volunteer shares why the sock sew is so important to her.
“My daughter 36 years ago came home in a stocking and so that is my incentive for doing this and why I love to come volunteer,” Hendrix says.
The Sock Sew is not just for December babies, but also any St. Peter’s patient in care on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Their stockings are filled with fruit for health but also everyone deserves a holiday treat so candy is also included.
This year's Sock Sew anticipates giving out around 100 patient stockings.
Hendrix says, "I think volunteering is important any time of the year, but at Christmas time it is all about family, friends, helping out, and the blessings you have in your life.”
