Portage la Prairie's home to the Portage Country Lane Quilting Guild. Volunteer Sharon Lloyd says they work in association with the Victoria's Quilters branch out of Neepawa who make and provide quilts for cancer patients.

"It's to give cancer patients comfort and the feeling that they're not alone," explains Lloyd. "The organization started in the United States. A lady had a sister who passed away and her name was Victoria. She decided to provide a quilt in memory of her sister for cancer patients."

Lloyd says the thirty Portage members make quilts for local organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Families First, the Portage Industrial Exhibition Association, the Women's Shelter and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

"We make tops or we make the whole quilt," notes Lloyd. "Some of our members do the quilting on them if other members don't want to do the quilting. And we do fundraising."

Lloyd notes they'll be making a quilt that will be raffled off for Victoria's Quilts. She explains the only Manitoba branch of Victoria's Quilters is in Neepawa. The Neepawa group advertises with labels put on the quilts, and does the mailing. It's a highly organized effort. The organization's not-for-profit, and they're always looking for financial help. Although Neepawa has the only Victoria's Quilts group in the province, the thirty volunteers of the Portage Country Lane Quilting Guild work in association with them. She adds it's quite a process to actually have a Victoria's Quilts branch in any given town, and at present the Portage group's chosen to support the larger effort in Neepawa.

There's also a group in St, Claude as well as one in Gladstone who likewise assist by providing quilts to the Neepawa branch.

The raffle they're holding usually takes place in November when they have the Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies (M.A.A.S) awards for quilting, when winners are presented with first and second places.

The group meets the third Monday of every month except those days between July and August. Lloyd notes the guild's grown quite a lot in the last few years.

Lloyd says Victoria's Quilts Canada has not received very many requests from the Portage area. You can go to their website (victoriasquiltscanada.com) and request a quilt. There is no cost to requesting a quilt or to the person receiving it. You can also call them at (204) 476-2122.