Needlework Guild of America

National Giving Alliance, (until July 31, 2019, The Needlework Guild of America (NGA)) was a women's organization founded in 1885. It operates through grass-roots volunteer groups called branches Individuals of all ages, social clubs, service organizations, religious groups, social agency staffs, faculties, corporate employees, and other promote NGA's purpose of collecting new clothing and household linens, and essential toiletries, and of distributing them locally to those in need through welfare agencies, as well as to private cases, as determined by the branch.

A mine disaster in Wales in 1882 brought about the beginning of the Needlework Guild. Lady Giana Wolverton of Dorsetshire, England, had founded a home for orphans. After the mine disaster, Lady Wolverton's orphanage received all orphans who were sent to her. She found ways to provide for these children in every way except clothing, so she called together a group of her friends and asked them to provide “two new articles of clothing. They must be new. They must be exactly alike.”

“But why two garments?” she was asked.

“What does the child wear,” replied Lady Wolverton, “while one garment is being laundered?” Thus the Guild's slogan was born: “One to wear, and one to wash.”

Mrs. Alanson Hartpence of Philadelphia learned of the work of the Guild on a visit to England in 1885. Her niece, Laura Safford (later Mrs. John Wood Stewart), became the founder and first president of the Needlework Guild of America. A group of Laura Safford's friends agreed to help her to sew for the needy and the Needlework Guild of America (NGA) was born.

The first Ingathering, as it is still called, in October 1885. Communications were poor and travel difficult so the attendance was small. Nevertheless, 921 garments were collected. Contributors to the first Ingathering in Philadelphia included an eighty-year-old blind lady and a servant girl of twelve. Children were quickly found to be reliable. One of the founding members organized a group of children at a resort hotel to sew each afternoon for the Guild. The youth program has expanded through the years to include such groups as Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Boys and Girls.

Those first 921 garments were distributed to orphanages, hospitals and families in need. The Guild has from its beginning been “the charity that helps other charities.” During the first year, branches were organized in New Jersey. By 1886 the Guild was distributing garments not only locally but across the nation. The annual report that year states that clothing was sent to “sufferers by earthquake in Charleston.”

By 1888 there were eleven branches including Montclair, New Jersey, and New York City. The next year the annual report stated: “It is not a sewing society, as its name suggests, but an organization to receive garments and distribute them to the deserving poor.”

The first black branch was formed in Washington, D.C., in 1890. At the annual meeting in Chicago in 1896, the delegates decided to hold annual meetings every other year in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere in the country on alternate years. This practice still continues. Also in that year the Guild became incorporated as the Needlework Guild of America, Incorporated. In 1897 it adopted the

idea of Money Members as well as Garment Members.

During the l890s the Guild spread north, south, and west so that in 1898 it was necessary to open a national office, then at 1227 Arch Street, Philadelphia. That year, the beginning of the Spanish-American War, a special collection of 48,141 garments was made for the relief of Cuban and American soldiers fighting in Cuba, in addition to the two garments per member. By 1900 there were 311 branches in twenty states, and 330,624 garments were collected; by 1905 the garment count reached the 400,000 mark.

NGA was quick in corning to the aid of the victims of the great earthquake in San Francisco in 1906. As a result, it began an affiliation with the Red Cross in 1907 to distribute articles during catastrophes free of charge. In response to unspeakable conditions in Labrador, Labrador Branch was formed in 1907. Its work grew greatly that eventually the Labrador New England Branch was formed, and the Labrador Coast to Coast Branch, with headquarters in New York City, covered the rest of the country. The work of these branches continued well into the 1950s.

An affiliation with the General Federation of Women's Clubs [see Philadelphia Federation of Women's Clubs and Allied Organizations began in 1909. At its annual meeting in 1910, the silver anniversary of the Guild, thirty-four states had branches represented at the celebration, and Mrs. Stewart spoke of the early days.

When World War I began, the Guild was already working through a hospital in Paris. In 1915 a special collection made possible the establishment of workrooms in Lyons, France, which gave employment to ninety women, sixteen to sixty years old, who had been thrown out of work because of the war. The Guild sent money and flannel and cotton to be made into shirts for wounded men plus clothing for women and children. Garments were made mostly by hand and distributed through the Lyons Branch of the Needlework Guild of America. The United States Branch of Queen Mary's Needlework Guild was formed in 1915 specifically for war relief. American women working for this branch made garments, kit bags, and surgical dressings. Eventually seven branches, considered an auxiliary, were formed with headquarters in New York City. By 1919 the United States Guild had made 22,737,201 garments. In response to a letter in 1916 from the Suffrage Committee of the National Council of Women the Guild defeated a motion to consider suffrage. The Guild in 1917 started the Laura Stewart Endowment Fund, began an affiliation with the Camp Fire organization, and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt was made an honorary president of NGA. After America became involved in World War I, the Guild was able to open an office in New York City to direct its war relief work. By the war's end, NGA numbered some 450,000 members. It adopted the town of St. Quentin, France, chosen because Mrs. Roosevelt had a son Quentin who had died during the war. In addition to sending articles to the town, individual branches adopted orphans there, and cared for over 130 of them. The Needlework Guild participated in the Peace Jubilee Parade in Philadelphia on September 11, 1919. All women's organizations that had done war work were asked to be in it. In 1921 Mrs. John Wood Stewart was presented the Gold Medal of Reconnaissance Française by the French government in recognition of her services through the Needlework Guild. To celebrate the fortieth anniversary in 1925, a Thank Offering was created to help with extension work. Suggested giving for an individual member was $4, a town branch $40, a city branch $400, and $4,000 was collected from the national board. In all, over $40,000 was given. At the 1925 convention 841 delegates represented 187 branches in sixteen states, Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. At that time the Guild had over 750,000 members who yearly collected over 1,200,000 garments The Guild had a well-attended exhibit at the Sesquicentennial Exhibition in Philadelphia The French government in 1929 presented Mrs. Stewart with the Cross of the Legion of Honor for the Guild's war relief work. The fiftieth annual meeting, known as the Golden Jubilee Anniversary, was held in Philadelphia in 1935. There were 1,700 delegates representing 271 branches from twenty-five states Though the founder, Mrs. John Wood Stewart, had died in 1931, two of the seven charter members were still living and active in the Guild—Miss Sarah Bache Hodge and Miss Rosamond Bender, the executive secretary. In its fifty years the Guild had collected 46,882,616 garments. A public celebration was held at the Academy of Music with the Westminster Choir performing. Miss Maria Halsey Stryker, director of Junior Work, begun in 1932, wrote and staged a pageant, At the Foot of the Rainbou with a cast of 334 juniors Juniors unable to attend sent artwork from all over the country for a Junior Poster Exhibit. The annual meeting in 1936 went west for the first time, to San Francisco. A count of 1,892,361 garments was reported by 739 branches New Orleans was the site of the annual meeting in 1940. It would be the last “out of Philadelphia” meeting for several years With World War II, even the sixtieth anniversary had to go unmarked, but the work of NGA went on.

Miss Rosamond K. Bender resigned as the first full-time national executive secretary in 1941. She had filled that position since 1903. She was presented with a sapphire ring in appreciation of her long service. On V-E Day in 1945, national president Louise Connett sent a letter to all branches announcing that the Guild had joined the Women's Action Committee for Victory and Lasting Peace. The next year a national convention was held in Philadelphia, with representatives from 215 branches in nineteen states The garment count for 1946 was over 1,300,000. During the 1940s Miss Marion Bettle began a Guild magazine Verbal Snap shots, an instant success Before that time, the Guild had a feature for several years in the quarterly magazine known as the Altruist To celebrate the seventieth anniversary in 1955, a book United Littles by Arthur Burke (pen name Burke McArthur) was published. Unfortunately it was never a ‘best seller” even among Guild members. It was dedicated to Miss Marion Bettle, who at that time had been active in the Guild for sixty-seven years. In addition to editing Verbal Snapshots, she had been a national president. In 1916 she had gone to Kansas City to start a branch, and over seven years she helped form forty branches in that area Miss Sarah Bache Hodge, the last charter member, died in 1956 at the age of ninety-four. She was an active section president until that time. The Diamond Jubilee in 1960 took place in Atlantic City. Delegates from 120 branches represented twenty states, and $30,000 was raised for the Diamond Jubilee Fund.

Miss Bettle resigned as the first and only editor of Verbal Snapshots in 1961. Since the snapshots in the magazine were as much verbal as visual, she suggested that the name be changed to NEWS, its name ever since. During the Guild's entire history, hardly a year has gone by that it was not called upon for emergency relief. In 1963 the Guild became officially affiliated with the Salvation Army, and some of its disaster relief work is done through this organization. NGA's association with Queen Mary's London Needlework Guild (now Queen Mary's Clothing Guild) has remained cordial through the years. Justine Nusbaum, national board member, went to London in 1964 to be presented to the Queen Mother Elizabeth who sent NGA an afghan knitted by the “Gentlemen of her Staff.” That year's convention was in Norfolk, Virginia, with Mrs Nusbaum's branch hosting. In 1966 Mrs. J. Alfred Hamme, national president, was presented a Queen Mary's Guild Coin, the first American woman since 1915 to have such an honor. That year a plaque was placed at Sagamore Hill, the home of Theodore Roosevelt, honoring Mrs. Roosevelt's service as New York State chairwoman of the Guild.

The GANG (Gentlemen's Auxiliary of the Needlework Guild), formed in 1971, has provided moral support and funds to purchase needed office equipment. NGA moved to new Philadelphia headquarters on Pine Street in 1972. Six years later it moved headquarters to Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Ruth Rees replaced the retiring Miss Mildred N. Michener as executive director. The 1979 convention was held at historic Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, at the Freedoms Foundation. Mrs. Walter Thompson, national president, and Mrs. Nusbaum attended a meeting in 1975 with President Gerald Ford and promised the Guild's help with Vietnam refugees NGA sent many pairs of shoes to the refugee camp at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Richard Warren, national first vice-president, represented NGA in 1982 at the centenary of the London Guild. Representatives from England frequently join NGA's convention.

During the 1980s the number of branches of the Needlework Guild of America declined, a trend that began after World War II, as more women joined the work force and American society became more mobile. The Guild hired a public relations firm to promote public aware ness and update the image of the Guild. The Guild celebrated its centennial year in 1985 at its national convention at the Hershey Hotel in Philadelphia. Organized groups of Camp Fire, Inc., 4-H, Future Homemakers of America, Girl Scouts USA, and Scouting USA, as well as individual young people and special interest groups, added their support to NGA. Young NGA members who donated at least two new items for distribution or worked on a minimum of two NGA projects during the year were eligible to receive the NGA Youth

Award patch. New Process Company of Warren, Pennsylvania, gave 94,180 new sweaters and pantsuits, valued at $1,468,093, for branch distribution. The Muscular Dystrophy Association located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, gave over1,000 T-shirts. The national office has been located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, since 1986. NGA officers and the Board of Trustees are all volunteers.

The 1990 Annual Report stated that 106,734,155 items have been given to the needy since the organization was founded. In the City of Philadelphia, four branches, located in the neighborhoods of Fox Chase, Frankford, Olney, and Torresdale-Tacony, work to help the needy in addition to the original Philadelphia Branch. The Philadelphia Branch of NGA (1990) served twenty-one area social service agencies. It supplied new clothing and household linens (blankets, towels, sheets, and the like) to the needy through shelters (for example, Women against Abuse, Brotherhood Mission, Hospitality House of Philadelphia, Helping Hand Rescue Mission), settlement houses (for example, Grace and Lutheran), child welfare agencies (for example, the Committee for the Homeless, Department of Human Services—Children and Youth Division, County Court Juvenile Division, Crime Prevention Association of Philadelphia, Parent Action Network, Supportive Child and Adult Network, Seeds of Love), hospitals (Pennsylvania Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania), youth centers (Woodrock Youth Center), community centers (Dixon House, St. Charles Borromeo), and developments for the elderly (for example, Opportunities Tower). The branch directly serves about five private cases annually. The Philadelphia Branch runs a Sidewalk Sale once a year to make money to buy garments. It receives financial donations as well as garments, which may be handmade or store-bought items

In 2020, National Giving Alliance continues to serve homeless and low-income children, families, women and men. The National office and its branches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, Florida, California and Michigan distributed more than 188,000 new clothes, new toiletries and new household linens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, NGA National and its branches served those in need.

During the Great Depression, Frances Cleveland, past First Lady of the United States, led the Needlework Guild of America in its clothing drive for the poor.[1]