How a local South Bend non-profit got started working for Pete for America

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ---A non-profit charity that began 7 years ago as a sewing club in downtown South Bend now has a gig working for a presidential campaign.

Sew Loved was contracted by Pete for America to start making hats and beanies for his campaign in August. It wasn’t long after that they sold out and now they're busy making more.

“We’ve produced 1400 ball caps already and we’re currently working on 500 beanies,” Vickie Miles said, the Director of Sew Loved.

It all started when the mayor announced his candidacy for president in back in April.

“We were in here joking one day about we have to quit calling him Mayor Pete and get used to calling him President Pete.”

So the team at Sew Loved decided to make a one-of-a-kind hat for Buttigieg, crossing out the word mayor and replacing it with president. Miles dropped the hat off at Buttigieg’s office. It wasn’t long after that she received a call.

“I think that was one of the things that spurred the Pete for America team contacting us about contracting with them to do embroidery for their products.”

Miles explained that the contract fits in with some of Buttigieg’s campaign promises. The mayor and presidential hopeful boasts a new generation of American leadership and art of that vision is investing in people and keeping jobs in America.

That promise is outlined in Buttigieg’s plan "A Commitment to America’s Heartland: Unleashing the Potential of Rural America" where he pledges to accelerate economic transformation by investing in people and enabling them to build new businesses and seize new economic opportunities.

“Gives us great credibility that we’re able to do this for a presidential campaign,” Miles said. “He means what he says. When he says we should support small businesses and made in America products, his campaign backs that.”

Since contracting with Pete for America, Sew Loved is looking at expanding their space to keep up with the high demand of hats and beanies.

For more information on how you can help the non-profit, visit their website.