If you had to choose a symbol to represent comfort, a quilt would be an excellent choice. Plush, colorful, a quilt provides warmth and shelter like a loved one’s hug.

Orphans don’t get enough hugs, so giving an orphan a quilt is a truly heartfelt offering.

Bryan Nurnberger and Jennifer DeBisschop packed 80 quilts along into a used school bus following a service and blessing Sunday at the Naugatuck Congregational Church on Division Street. They plan to set off for an orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico, this week. The orphanage, called Casa Hogar, is the only one of its kind—serving children with severe disabilities—in a 500-mile area of southern Mexico.

There are 80 children at Casa Hogar, and each will receive a quilt, individualized with the face of each child sewn in, when the bus arrives in about two weeks. Nurnberger, 25, and DeBisschop, 24, both borough natives and graduates of Naugatuck High School, are bringing much more than the quilts, though. They have stocked the bus with a lengthy list of necessities donated through a nonprofit organization—called Simply Smiles – that Nurnberger set up specifically for the purpose.

Along with the quilts, there are wheelchairs, physical therapy equipment, new clothes, vitamins, a host of toiletries, school supplies and toys. With the help of their local church and Congregational churches in Bethlehem and Southport, as well as schools and businesses, they have also raised $40,000. Students at Naugatuck High School, Maple Hill Elementary School, and Long River Middle School in Prospect also sponsored events to raise money and supplies.

Even the bus is a gift.

“I bought it used for $10,000 from Bus and Body in New Hampshire,” Nurnberger said last week, adding he spent more money to fix up the bus for the more than 3,000-mile trip.

His efforts are the result of a detour he took while traveling through central Mexico last summer. On a tip from a friend, the former missionary, teacher, and rock climbing guide took a 14-hour bus ride to Oaxaca. He instantly recognized two things: he loved the children, and they needed help. He stayed for two months.

“I had done mission work before, and there was clearly a great need here,” he said. “What made it unique was that there was such a great need, but there was no system of support in place for them. I found kids with severe disabilities who needed basic care.”

Of the 80 children, 30 have special needs, he said. Some have polio or meningitis, others are deaf or blind.

Ricardo, 13, has cerebral palsy. “He only knows about 15 words, and only his right hand functions,” Nurnberger said. “He’s in a wheelchair. For the first 11 years of his life, he lived with his parents, and he was tied up in a chair. He never leaves my side when I’m down there.”

Despite the best efforts of the couple who operate the orphanage, whom he identified only as Carol and Francisco, the need is overwhelming.

“They have a $25,000 budget,” Nurnberger said, “They pay for a lot with credit cards and they have amassed a tremendous debt.”

After returning home last year, he raised money and returned in November, staying through January. It was when he came home the second time that he founded Simply Smiles. He has worked full-time on the project, living off his savings and occasional rock climbing excursions.

DeBisschop, a graduate of Yale Divinity School, said her friend’s enthusiasm to help the orphanage was contagious.

“It’s all his fault,” she said with a laugh. “He came back and was really excited about the orphanage and everything that was going on down there.”

She graduated from divinity school without a plan. “This might help to do some clarification for me,” DeBisschop said.

Together, they approached churches for help, and found they were only too willing.

The quilts, for example, were fashioned by parishioners of Naugatuck Congregational Church, with some help from others, including the Naugatuck Visiting Nurses Association.

“We had about 35 people who helped, give or take a couple,” said Peggy Dufresne, who organized a quilting bee last week. “We even had one man who helped.”

The children’s faces for the quilts were provided by Nurnberger, who brought back photos of all of them. Dufresne said her sister-in-law owns a company that puts children’s artwork on mugs and other items. “She put the faces on the fabric for us,” Dufresne said.

Being able to look at the faces made creating the quilts a more personal experience, she added.

When the bus has hit the road, Nurnberger and DeBisschop will be filing trip updates on their Web site, www.simplysmiles.org. They also expect to post photos of the children when they deliver the quilts.

“These women who made quilts can see us giving the children the quilts,” Nurnberger said.

Which means they can watch from 3,000 miles away as the children are blanketed with gifts of love.

David Krechevsky is Naugatuck Valley bureau chief for the Republican-American. He can be reached at (203)-729-4756 or by e-mail at dkrechevsky@rep-am.com