Letter to the editor: The ‘Bag Ladies’ have grown their efforts to help Summit County

Opinion Opinion | Aug 16, 2023

In 2008 when the local economy took a turn for the worst, two local women, Kay Bullington and Becky Morgan, combined their sewing talents and creativity to start making and selling reusable shopping bags made from donated fabric in the hopes of raising $400 to donate to the Family & Intercultural Resource Center’s food bank.

The bag project, known as the “FIRC Bag Ladies,” has grown and is now lead by Shona David Osborne, consisting of over 40 dedicated volunteers. As of June 2023, the FIRC Bag Ladies raised more than $250,000! The volunteers donate their time to sew many different products from shopping bags, travel purses, tote bags, tuxedo wine bags, jewelry bags, yoga mat bags, gift bags, cosmetic bags and many more. The average price per bag is between $5 and $10.

During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the FIRC Bag Ladies sewed thousands of masks which were donated to resource center staff and clients, teachers, heath care workers and were then also sold around the county.

After the devastating Marshall fire in Boulder County on Dec. 30, 2021, several of the group sewed quilts and sent them down for distribution to affected households.

Their efforts have helped hundreds of local families facing eviction to pay their rent, and they have helped the food bank buy thousands of pounds of groceries to keep the shelves stocked with essentials for the many needy families in Summit County.

The resource center would like to congratulate the Bag Ladies in achieving this significant milestone and raising $250,000 all to benefit local workers and families in Summit County. To purchase your very own hand-sewn bag, visit the FIRC Bag Ladies this Friday and every Friday throughout the summer at the Dillon Farmers Market.

Aug 27, 2023

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Aug 24, 2023

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.

Sarah Grant Silverthorne As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.