Ten years ago, Former Missoula County Sheriff Doug Chase made a bet with his friend Dan Rude: that he couldn’t find men to make blankets for the local prison ministry. Dan, a teacher at the time, enlisted his sisters-in-law and the church’s women’s quilting group to learn the skills he needed. Soon after, he created a men’s quilting group, which he calls the Monday Evening Men. 

They meet every other week in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and discuss how to solve the world’s problems, all while making quilts for charity. 

In February, they donated 27 quilts to our Housing Montana Heroes program, which provides transitional housing for veterans. Natalie Caplis, one of our case managers, said “We are so grateful for the beautiful quilts that were donated to our Housing Montana Heroes program. Not only are they a much needed resource, the incredible stich work and the love that went into these quilts gives our veterans a little reminder of home when they tuck themselves in at night.”