Kim Mack 
Three years ago, Sherri Rice launched Pillows for Good as a way to love first and pursue peace. Twenty percent of profits from her Pillows for Good are donated to Preemptive Love Coalition, empowering women in Iraq and Syria in their respective businesses.
A busy mom, Pillows for Good is only part of Sherri’s job, as she also runs August Blues, a custom slipcover business. When asked what keeps her going, Sherri says, “The easy answer is that I can’t stop shopping for and buying pretty fabrics and I don’t have room for all those pillows in my home.”
But truthfully, the answer runs much deeper. Years ago, Sherri found this quote from Scotty Smith, “May our churches lead the way and day, by caring more for the ‘least of these’ than fearing the ‘worst of them.’”
Sherri says that quote affirmed her perspective. “That’s what keeps me going. I believe in the imago dei (the image of God in every person) and, as a follower of Jesus, I am called to honor and value that in all people.”
Sherri saw the divisiveness in our world, the narratives of fear, and decided that, “Pillows For Good is my resistance to those narratives, and is a way to invite others to participate in a tangible means of affirming the dignity of all, to practice care rather than sit in fear.”
Sherri’s Pillows for Good now have dedicated space inside a home goods store, Vintage Bleu Home. She’s also introduced a collection of pillows sewn with fair-trade, hand-woven fabrics from Guatemala.
Sherri continues to move her business forward one step at a time, motivated by her faith and her understanding of justice. “I serve the God ‘who sees,’” she says. “To empower someone toward a job/business is a very tangible way to say that they are seen, valued, and have a purpose. And it’s still thrilling to read about the trajectory of a refugee family’s life being changed by the opportunity to start a business.”
Sherri is committed to walking out her faith and empowering women through practical, tangible means. Her Pillows for Good are a beautiful reminder that we belong to each other, across oceans and continents, across faiths and languages.
