ManitobaA group of crafters in northern Manitoba have been making and collecting dozens of quilts to help bring warmth and comfort to hundreds of neighbours who lost their homes to this year’s wildfire across the border in Denare Beach. Quilt for Wildfire Relief initiative will give a quilt to all 230 families who lost homes in June wildfireLauren Scott · CBC News · Posted: Nov 23, 2025 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Denare Beach residents Geri Beaton-Walker, left, and Lois Moberly, right, lost their houses in a wildfire that destroyed 230 homes in Denare Beach, Sask., in June. They each selected colourful blankets delivered by the North Star Quilt Guild. (Lauren Scott/CBC)A group of crafters in northern Manitoba have been making and collecting dozens of quilts to help bring warmth and comfort to hundreds of neighbours who lost their homes to this year’s wildfire across the border in Denare Beach.A wildfire ripped through the northeastern Saskatchewan village in early June, destroying 230 homes.Since then, the community has been working to rebuild what they lost. Meanwhile, the North Star Quilt Guild, based in Flin Flon — about 20 kilometres away, over the Manitoba border — has been gathering quilts to give to every family that lost a home in the fire.The guild has teamed up with quilter Christine Bell in The Pas, Man., for the Quilt for Wildfire Relief initiative, which has delivered 54 quilts to the Village of Denare Beach’s Seventh Avenue office so far. “It was very touching” when the first stack of quilts came in, said Denare Beach Coun. Karen Thomson. “It just showed you the best that people can be.”Bags and bags of quilts have passed through the office doors since then, she said — so many that they have started referring to the room where they’re kept as “the vault.” “It was something else, the outpouring of love,” Thomson said. Geri Beaton-Walker, who lost her Denare Beach home in a wildfire in June, said she was drawn to the bold, bright colours of this quilt. (Lauren Scott/CBC)Geri Beaton-Walker, who lost her Ninth Avenue home, said she’s still in shock, and has struggled to cry since June. But she was overcome with emotion on Thanksgiving, when she got a call to head to the office and select a quilt. “It’s so thoughtful. I just kind of tear up and I think about it, because I can’t believe that anybody did so much work to help us, to give us something that is so beautiful and so useful,” said Beaton-Walker.”I’m very, very thankful for it.”She picked a large, festive quilt with strips of holiday-themed fabric arranged in a log cabin pattern. “It’s so bright and so pretty, and the reverse of it is all poinsettias, and I can have Christmas all year round, really. It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” she said, adding it was hard to choose a quilt because there were so many lovely options. Lois Moberly, who lost her home in Denare Beach in June, chose a deep purple quilt with a traditional square pattern from the Quilt for Wildfire Relief initiative. (Lauren Scott/CBC)Lois Moberly, who lived in a cottage just a street away on Eighth Avenue, said she was drawn to the “deep, rich colours” of the traditional purple quilt she picked. Her quilt came with a tag showing it was made by the Saskatoon Regional Quilters.”I thought it was really touching that somebody would go to all that work to make these quilts and then donate them to us,” Moberly said. “It’s very emotional.”Thomson said the quilts have brought a much-needed sense of comfort during these difficult times, she said. “It’s a piece of warmth and a piece of hope for people. And it gives them the hope that there’s something good beyond the fire,” Thomson said. Audrey Neufeld, co-secretary of the North Star Quilt Guild, dropped off a dozen quilts at the Denare Beach village office on Friday. (Submitted by Laurie Stomp)Audrey Neufeld, co-secretary of the North Star Quilt Guild and the area liaison for Quilt for Wildfire Relief, has delivered dozens of quilts to Denare Beach since the initiative began. She brought a dozen more to the office on Friday. At least 18 quilts are expected to be delivered next week, and more will be sent from Saskatoon over the holiday period, said Neufeld.A network of quilters are working across provincial lines to give quilts to the 230 families in need, she said. So far, they’ve collected quilts from Manitoba makers in Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage, Swan River, The Pas, Selkirk and Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan crafters from Saskatoon and Creighton.Some quilts have even come from a guild in Ontario, thanks to a former Flin Flon resident who moved there, Neufeld said. Neufeld dropped off a dozen quilts at the Denare Beach village office on Friday, bringing the total collected to 54. (Submitted by Laurie Stomp)No matter where they come from, Neufeld said they’re made with love and care.”Every quilt is stitched. Every stitch with love,” she said. “It gives a warm hug to someone in need … and it also is an indication to them there is somebody out there who cares,” said Neufeld, adding she hopes it brings “big comfort” and cheer to the families. Making quilts is time consuming, so it may take more than a year for every family to get their quilt, she said.The guild is still accepting donations from any quilters who are able to pitch in, said Neufeld.ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Scott is a Winnipeg-based reporter with CBC Manitoba. They hold a master’s degree in computational and data journalism, and have previously worked for the Hamilton Spectator and The Canadian Press.
‘Outpouring of love’: Flin Flon crafters gather quilts for Denare Beach families who lost homes to wildfire
