Portages: Alternative Funeral Advocacy arose to create options for families making funeral arrangements

While some people find comfort in the professional services of contemporary funeral establishments, others seek a more traditional and personal approach. They may wish to be an active participant rather than a passive observer in the funeral ritual. They may seek the freedom to create a meaningful observance in accordance with their own beliefs, customs or aesthetics. They may desire a funeral that avoids the high cost or negative environmental impact of modern American funerals.

But caring for your own can be a daunting prospect to one suddenly faced with a death. Answers to questions about legal rights and restrictions, as well as practical information regarding the care of the body, are not readily accessible.

Portages provides pre-need support to families preparing the way for a death, whether one desires a simple bedside vigil or an elaborate home or family-directed funeral. A Portages funeral guide (or death midwife) is both a source of practical knowledge for after death care as well as an advocate for the legal rights of a family member to arrange every aspect of a funeral.