HELENA — For 72 years, volunteers have gathered for the Arlene Matthews Sock Sew at St. Peter’s Health.
The tradition was created by Arlene Matthews, and provides a memento for new parents and their bundles of joy born from December 1st to December 31st.
Matthews began the Sock Sew back in 1953 from her basement. While Matthews passed away in 2020 her legacy lives on through the annual event.
This year broke the record with more than 70 volunteers — cutting, sewing, and decorating stockings for newborns and patients in the hospital.
“I love to volunteer and love to see the babies be stuffed into these big red socks and even the patients that get the smaller ones,” Linda Wollitz, a volunteer for over a decade, said.
All babies born at the hospital in December get a stocking to have their picture in and to take home as a memory, and patients who are in the hospital on Christmas will receive a stocking filled with fruits and other goodies.
“The joy that we have made in putting them together is just wonderful,” Wollitz said. “Everybody loves to work together, and you meet new friends too.”
This year, 70 baby stockings were made and 110 stockings for patients.
