MANISTIQUE -- A murder-suicide in Amasa last September left five children under the age of 18 without their parents.

When Manistique resident Bonnie Harrington heard the story, she wanted to help.

"It just grabbed our hearts and we wanted to do something and this is what we do,” said Harrington.  “We make quilts and give them to people in situations; we think of the people that we're making them for all the time.  We have a prayer group here that prays for them."

Harrington and her group, "In the Garden" Quilt Ministry, a church group that meets for one week per month, began making quilts for the five children.

But Iron County Sheriff Mark Valesano wanted to make this a gesture from the whole community.  He organized sheriffs from six counties to relay the quilts across the U.P. to Sault Ste. Marie, where the kids are living with their older brother.

"I didn't know what the response would be and it was, like I said, almost an immediate response,” said Valesano.  “It just is a good example of how we all stick together in the U.P., and when somebody needs support, everybody is quick to jump in and do whatever they can."

Each quilt contains a personalized Bible scripture which Harrington hopes will keep the kids just as warm as the quilts.

"I hope that it will give them a sense that people care about them personally,” she said.  “That it helps them as they restructure their lives."