MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) – Following its second annual Blanket Bash drive from November 12 – December 3, non-profit organization Friends of Ore Dock BotEco Center collected the donated blankets on Friday before they are distributed. The drive, called Warm Up Marquette County, aims to provide blankets to individuals and families in need across Marquette County.
Ore Dock BotEco Center partners with Salvation Army of Marquette County for the drive, who in turn handle the distribution of blankets throughout December. In addition to donations from the public, the drive was aided by donations from Thrivent Financial, Meijer, and Walmart.
“We found out there are people who don’t have a very productive day at school, or at work, or even at home because they can’t get a good night’s sleep if they’re too cold,” said Gisele Duehring, Board President of Friends of Ore Dock BotEco Center. “They don’t have enough blankets.”
Duehring says that given the importance of sleep for children and people who get sick, Ore Dock BotEco Center is thankful to be able to fill a need in the community and to know the blankets will go into the right hands.
“We saw that while there’s wonderful toy drives and canned food and coats and mittens drives and things like that, there was a gap there when it came to blankets,” Duehring said. “And so we want to fill that gap and do it on a very consistent basis so that people come to expect this every year.”
