Gail Belmont, executive director and founder of Quilts of Honor, said at a fundraiser at Marvell's in Valley Springs that the nonprofit is selling $10 spaghetti lunches and other items to raise money to make quilts for combat veterans and women who have served more than three years.

Belmont said Quilts of Honor is an all-volunteer organization based in Valley Springs that has given more than 11,000 quilts since it began and is marking its 15th year as a nonprofit. "An average quilt costs us $400 out the door, and that's with no labor cost," she said, adding that the group has no paid staff and relies on private donations and merchandise sales for funding.

The quilts are one-of-a-kind, numbered and registered with a label on the back, Belmont said. She described the group's practice of not telling a veteran in advance that they will receive a quilt so the recipient does not say, "I don't deserve it." Volunteers who work at the Valley Springs headquarters come from across the region, Belmont said, naming Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Calaveras counties among the places volunteers travel from.

When asked about fundraising merchandise, Belmont said the group sells patriotic T-shirts and other items to raise extra money. She said Quilts of Honor accepts donations through its website and PayPal, by mail and via Facebook, and that the group also accepts fabric donations. "Yes. We accept any kind of donations of fabric and, patriotic or not," she said.

Belmont said Quilts of Honor had about 14 chapters in multiple states with an average of about 35 volunteers per chapter. She named Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma among states with chapters and said Oklahoma is the newest chapter, having produced 200 quilts this year. She said chapters send a photo and label of each quilt back to headquarters so the organization can track quality and registration.

Belmont said the group plans a celebration at its headquarters on April 26; she did not specify a year. For donations or information, she said the group's website, Facebook page and PayPal are the primary contact points and that donors may also mail contributions.