08/13/2025
Jackie Smith
Project: GTR - GIVE THEM RELIEF
Just a note from me;
Janet is a really good friend of mine and she is the one who gave me the pattern to make my camper and watermelon quilts I talked about in the last post. I am helping her with this project and if you feel so inspired let us know how you would like to help out too!
Thank you for reading my posts. Jackie
Five years ago, I lost my son, Grant Thomas Renfro, far too soon. He was just 36 years old — kind, giving soul taken by congestive heart failure and complications from COVID-19. Ever since, I’ve been searching for the right way to honor his memory.
Grant Thomas Renfro....
Grant was the kind of person who couldn’t look away from need. As a boy, he brought classmates home to feed them when he knew they didn’t have enough at their own table. As a man, he carried blessing bags in his car — filled with snacks and essentials — ready to hand out to anyone living on the streets. Once, he saw a man wearing duct-taped shoes and quietly gave him the Nike sneakers off his own feet.
After Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Unicoi County, I finally found the answer I’d been searching for:
Project: GTR — Give Them Relief — is a memorial project created in Grant’s name. It’s more than quilts — it’s comfort, stitched by hand and heart. The quilts are crafted with care by my quilting group, The Fireflies — Celia Shanks, Debbie Brenneman, DeeDee Upton, and myself — along with others who have contributed not only financially but also by helping to make quilts and labels, sew bindings, and donate fabric.
— and given freely to families whose homes are being rebuilt after disaster.
Not just one per household — but one quilt for every person. Because every person matters.
Every person deserves comfort.
We hope that each quilt feels like a quiet hug. A reminder that someone, somewhere, cared enough to make this — just for them.
One of the Project GTR quilts, handmade by The Fireflies.
This is Grant’s legacy: not just remembered, but multiplied. Through every stitch, every
pattern, every tag that says “From our hands to your heart,” we are giving warmth where
there was loss, and love where there was need.
With love,
The Fireflies
Janet Renfro, Celia Shanks, Debbie Brenneman, DeeDee Upton
BQ7 Maple Island Quilt Pattern https://mapleislandquilts.com/
