JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Members of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Ortega are showing their support one quilt at a time, opening their doors and their hearts to the men and women who have survived the wars in Iraq.

Even though they survived, many of them returned home as wounded warriors.

Now they are continuing through the healing process with the help of the church.

"We're going to be reaching for their spirit," St. Mark's Episcopal Rev. David Killeen said.

Killeen is preparing to host a spiritual retreat for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They're going to be able to come together in a very meaningful way," Killeen said. "To support each other and feel God's love."

When the 31 service men and women arrive, quilts will be the first things they see.

"We wanted to do something that was visible, tangible and that would be a comfort," said Jan Harbeson, who helped make the quilts.

On Tuesday, the quilts were blessed. Killeen said the patriot quilt collection is an act of love.

Harbeson and Janice Martin heard about the retreat, organized by the Diocese of Florida and the Wounded Warrior Foundation, several months ago. They wanted to create a quilt for every attendee, men and women who were nursing traumatic physical and mental injuries.

"It started out just the two of us, and then when the project grew to the point where we couldn't do it, just the two of us, then we expanded," Martin said.

They spread the word throughout their church community, and in two months, 70 quilts were created. The quilts take between 25 and 40 hours to complete.

"Everyone had the same reaction," Harbeson said. "It's the least we can do for these brave men and women."

Every quilt, they said, is a tangible symbol of the love and respect that the quilters have for those who served their country.

"It's all about love," Martin said. "There's love in every stitch. They were made with love."

The foundation is a national nonprofit based in Jacksonville. It helps soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan readjust to life back at home.