Every D day during upper-school lunch, the sewing room in lower Bentham holds colorful fabrics, thread, and the soft chatter of students as they sew and embroider tote bags to deliver to the underserved in their community.
Sewing Smiles 4 Service, a Bishop’s service club, was formed last year by juniors Anna Yang and Marly Berlin. Marly explained, “We both realized that we loved sewing, and we were thinking about ways in which we could apply that to give back to the community and start a service initiative together.”
The club partners with Jewish Family Services and its Safe Parking Program, which provides secure overnight parking for individuals and families who live in their cars. Sleeping in a car is considered illegal in San Diego, and thus this program offers the participants protection and resources. “What we do is we provide dinner for them and these bags with books from San Diego Public Libraries,” Marly explained.
Since a lot of these cars hold children, the books offer the children a source of comfort and learning. Club member Millie Gan (‘26) said, “This club is making a big difference by providing children with the tools they need to succeed in education, especially for those who don’t have easy access to books or school supplies. The bags we sew, which are then filled with books, offer them hope and a chance to learn.”
Club member Gigi Cleary (‘27) explained, “I joined Sewing Smiles because it stood out to me. [The meetings] can be a nice moment in the middle of the day to focus on crafting while also helping a good purpose.” Millie added, “Knowing that the work we were doing could help children and contribute to their education really made me feel like I was part of something important.”
While the service club makes a difference through sewing and delivering handmade bags, club member Penelope Fountain (‘26) explained that it also makes a difference “through teaching the Bishop’s community sewing and embroidery skills.”
With experience in sewing, Marly and Anna dedicate club meetings to passing their skills to club members such as Gigi, who explained, “I’ve learned how to use a sewing machine, and over time I got more and more comfortable using it.” Millie continued, “Anna and Marly are incredibly patient and helpful…I had never sewn before joining the club, so learning to sew was a big step for me.”
Beyond learning new skills, club members feel that the meetings foster an encouraging environment. Penelope explained, “I love the moments when everyone is quietly working on their bags only to start having a big group conversation a moment later.” Millie added, “I was able to make new friends or become closer to people that I wasn’t so familiar with…the club meetings are laid back, which makes it easy to focus on learning while still having fun and chatting with friends.”
In the future, Marly hopes to expand the club and attend more distribution events. She noted that one of the most rewarding experiences for her was attending a Safe Parking Program dinner last December. “It was almost all children who were there. That was pretty amazing—to be able to play with the kids and help give them books,” she explained.
Gigi concluded, “I would definitely recommend [joining]! Not only does it not require a lot of commitment, as we meet once a cycle and off campus events are not required, you learn new skills, and it’s a fun and relaxing way to get creative and earn service hours!”
Penelope added, “Sewing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and it can be difficult but you won’t know unless you try it! Marly and Anna are really great teachers and everyone is very encouraging and it is a great environment.”
