BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA -- When Haiti Solar Oven Partners (HSOP) volunteer Karen Workman dropped in at Legacy UMC in Bismarck, North Dakota she discovered a Legacy Quilters work bee.  Busy volunteers were cutting 11 bolts of black broadcloth into 22”x16” inch pieces for solar oven bread pan covers.  

Photo by Karen Workman:  Caption (Legacy) Legacy Quilters take time for an impromptu lesson about solar cooking and baking. A french bread pan and a black baking cloth (helps with browning) are standard equipment now when an HSOP oven is delivered at HSOP instructional seminars. Families in Haiti are delighted because it's impossible to bake bread over the charcoal grates 95 percent of Haitian families must use for cooking.  

Because the volunteers wanted to learn more about the concept of solar baking, Karen drove to her Bismarck home and returned with her solar oven, bread pan, and pictures of sun-baked foods. Karen has been to Haiti four times as an HSOP volunteer so she knows how the ovens work and how these black cloths allow the baguette-style loaves to brown beautifully.

 “They were amazed,” says Karen. "So was I! Would you believe it only took them a mere hour to cut the 11 bolts of the broadcloth interestingly enough called ‘Legacy Black’! Now I have 3 boxes full of unfinished covers and will find sewers in the Dakotas Conference who agree to hem them – Legacy has agreed to hem 200 already!  The hemmed covers will be shipped to Haiti this fall."

If stitchers in your church would like to join the fun and hem a few hundred broadcloth covers, please contact Karen Workman at karenworkman@centurylink.net. She'll see that material is delivered to your volunteers.