Made With Tender, Loving Care

Pamela Portman learned to sew and knit in her high school home economics class, not knowing these skills would 1 day position her to champion a heartfelt cause in her community. Today, she is the latest Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass recipient, recognized for starting the Southeast Alabama chapter of Project Linus, a nonprofit providing homemade blankets to children in need.

Project Linus’s mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gift of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Portman began her journey with Project Linus while living in Florida, where she donated her handmade blankets to local chapters. When she moved to Alabama, she saw an opportunity to extend the organization’s impact to the Wiregrass region by coordinating the Southeast Alabama chapter.

“I just want to give these kids something that makes them feel secure, something that lets them know someone cares about them,” Portman says. “I can’t bring them all home, but I can give them a blanket to hold onto.”

Inside her blanket-making station — a large shed behind her home — Portman is surrounded by the hundreds of blankets that have been woven, stitched, and sewn for children in the community. All of the blankets are donated by her troupe of 20-plus blanketeers who make blankets in various fabrics and sizes. They make specific ones for different needs, such as NICU-friendly designs that avoid snags on medical equipment.

After collecting, sorting, and branding each blanket with a Project Linus tag that reads “Made with tender, loving care,” Portman distributes them to hospitals and social service agencies, like the Child Advocacy Center.

“1 of our volunteers, who was a foster child, told me she left the courthouse with nothing but a plastic bag and a toothbrush,” Portman says. “She said, ‘I want these kids to have something of their own, something that lasts.’ That really touched my heart.”

In addition to regular donations, Pamela and her team organize special projects, such as providing blankets for preschool children in Geneva and Enterprise. These blankets will ensure every child has a cozy, personal item for nap time, which they can carry with them as they grow.

Portman encourages others to get involved, whether by making blankets, donating materials, or contributing funds. As part of the Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass partnership between WTVY and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s (WEC) Operation Round Up Foundation, Portman received a $1,000 grant to help further the group’s impact.

“On behalf of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and our Operation Round Up Foundation, we are proud to honor Pamela Portman as a Silent Hero,” says Jennifer Ward, WEC’s manager of communications and public relations. “We thank her for her compassion and service in making the Wiregrass a great place to live.”