With love, 96-year-old Jeanette Milaschewski hand sews curtains for new Salvation Army cafe in Newburyport
'We had to get my son-in-law to help us get it off my daughters-in-law's dining room table,' she said with a laugh. 'So, it was kind of a family endeavor.'
They also made a couple of pillows that matched the drapes and could be placed on chairs inside the cafe, she said.
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Jeanette Milaschewski, left, and Major Jessica Berkhoudt hold pillows Milaschewski also made for the renovated cafe on Water Street in Newburyport.
The Salvation Army/Teak Media
The new cafe at the Salvation Army's location on Water Street will provide free meals to anyone in need, offering a 'welcoming and inclusive space,' the organization said in a statement.
The ribbon cutting coincides with Hunger Awareness Month.
'This renovation project reflects a broader community commitment to supporting the needs of all neighbors,' The Salvation Army said in the statement.
For Milaschewski, the project was a labor of love.
Decades ago, she said, the Salvation Army helped her husband, Howard, a World War II veteran who died in 2016. He would write letters to his family after he contracted malaria while participating in the liberation of the Philippines during World War II.
'Howard told me that after the war, his father said to him, 'Son we thought we lost you until we got those letters from the Salvation Army,'' Milaschewski said.
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'Howard was just so grateful for the selflessness and dedication of this organization, [and] this was my chance to pay back some of what Howard felt for the Salvation Army,' Milaschewski said.
Jeanette Milaschewski, 96, with a picture of her late husband, Howard, a WWII veteran who sent letters home with help from The Salvation Army during the war.
Teak Media
Darling Consulting Group, a local financial consulting firm, provided financial support for the cafe, the statement said.
Milaschewski's daughter, Janet, works for Darling and found out that draperies were needed for a large window inside the cafe, Milaschewski said.
'When the issue came up that they needed curtains, or draperies, for that window in this big room, my daughter Janet said, 'Oh my mom can do that,'' Milaschewski said, laughing again.
'So, she asked if I would be willing to take this project on, and I said, 'absolutely.''
Adam Sennott can be reached at
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