EVENTS: Sew for a Cause plans Mothers-to-be Tea in Vassalboro

Rachel Kilbride display some of the items prepared by the Sew for a Cause group, in Vassalboro. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

A special Mothers-to-be Tea is planned for Saturday, May 6, by the Sew for a Cause ladies, at St. Bridget Center, in Vassalboro. The event is free and open to all new mothers or soon-to-be mothers in central Maine, but because space is limited, attendees are encouraged to register by April 15. Owner of St. Bridget Center, Rachel Kilbride, says they are expecting about 50 new mothers to attend along with a guest.

Kilbride says the event is an effort to bring women together face-to-face and help new mothers connect with one another.

“Mothers today don’t have that same community we grew up in,” says Kilbride. “This [event] will give them the opportunity to meet other mothers and celebrate the fact that they’re new mothers.”

Shirley McQuarrie sorts through baby items prepared for the event. (photo by Rachel Kilbride)

The ladies of the Sew for a Cause group have been working furiously for months to create a bevy of handmade baby items to give out at the event. Totes filled with freshly made bibs, blankets, hats, cute stuffed animals and nursing quilts will be given out to attendees at the door, along with other assorted items that every new mother needs. And, of course, homemade baked treats and tea will be served.

Raffles are also planned, with items donated by local business sponsors of the event.

The Mothers-to-be Tea is being held on Saturday, May 6, the weekend before Mother’s Day, from 1 – 3 p.m.

“I was a Mother’s Day baby,” Kilbride says, explaining that they planned the event so it wouldn’t interfere with anyone’s plans to spend Mother’s Day with their own mothers.

Sew for a Cause is a group of over 50 volunteers from all over central Maine who meet on the first and third Thursday of every month at St. Bridget Center to socialize and sew homemade items to donate to local charities, including Catholic Charities, Newborns in Need, Sweet Dream Bags, the Ronald MacDonald House, Maine Children’s Home and area nursing and veterans’ homes.

The St. Bridget Center, at 864 Main St., in Vassalboro, is owned and operated by Rachel Kilbride and her husband, Jim, who have spent several years renovating the space. Aside from hosting free community events like community cribbage on Thursday evenings, Sew for a Cause, and this event for mothers-to-be, they keep the lights on by making the venue available to rent for birthdays, wedding receptions and other events.

To register for the free Mothers-to-be Tea by April 15, please send an email to motherstobetea2023@gmail.com or call 616-3148. To find out more about the St. Bridget Center or the Sew for a Cause group, email StBridgetCenter@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook.