The women of Westminster Presbyterian Church came together on Feb. 17 for a mission workshop.

Mission is a primary focus of the women who are called to give of their time and talents to help others in need.

Each February, the women gather to work together on several mission projects for local, national and international projects. Many of the participants continue crafting items throughout the year. Gathering together is always fun and provides opportunity to pick up tips from others and to improve or learn new skills and techniques.

Projects traditionally include knitting or crocheting hats, mittens, and baby blankets for local school children and for an orphanage in Romania. Sewers make a variety of needed items: walker caddies for a local health care center, little girl dresses, boys shorts, baby blankets and diapers for children in Haiti. Paper crafters use old greeting cards to make decorated seasonal gift bags for homebound individuals.

They also support the Sole Hope project, which recycles old jeans, cotton fabric scraps, and plastic ice cream buckets to make a shoe kit. These kits are then sent to East Africa with a monetary donation. Through this project jobs are provided for African tailors to assemble the pieces and cobblers to add the soles made from recycled bicycle. The finished shoes are a health and safety benefit to the children as shoes provide protection from infestation of jiggers. Jiggers burrow into feet causing infection, pain and lead to disability if untreated.

Millie Masse, PWC Moderator, reported getting feedback from Mayo Clinic Habibo Haji, a registered nurse and author. She described being a recipient of shoes from the Sole Hope project. Haji’s book, “Conquering the Odds: Journey of a Shepherd Girl,” details the obstacles she faced in her journey to become a nurse.

“We are humbled to think that our efforts can bring safety and comfort to others,” Masse said in a press release.