The Stony Brook Stitchers donate hats, lap blankets, christening outfits, prayer shawls, memory pouches and baby caps to patients at Stony Brook University Hospital and the Long Island State Veterans Home.

More than 90 volunteers including Stony Brook University faculty, staff, students and members of the community have sewn, knitted and crocheted more than 3,200 items.

 The Stony Brook Stitchers create hand-made gifts of healing and hope.

The Stitchers get together weekly bringing their own sewing machines to make various items that bring warmth and healing. Melissa Shampine, Shakeera Thomas, and other members of the Stitchers meet in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit conference room on Friday evenings.

Maryann Russo has been buying or getting donations of wedding dresses and takes them apart to make christening outfits for the babies who get baptized by Sr. Lynn at  University Hospital.

A snoedel, which is a small doll, is the newest item that the Stony Brook Stitchers make for Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies.  The parent takes the snoedel home, washes it and sleeps with it to absorb their scent.  The snoedel is then placed in the incubator with the baby to emulate physical contact with the parent and a sense of bonding.