Kiwanis hosts Blanket Drive for Migrant Children

Keeping warm during the spring California weather is not something migrant families are thinking of when they come to work in the vast ag lands of Solano County and often they are left scrambling at the Dixon Migrant Camp say workers there. Dixon Kiwanis hopes to remedy that situation with their Blanket Drive this Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Walmart.

‘People can either bring blankets they no longer use from home or they can purchase inexpensive new ones inside the store,” said Kiwanis President Marnie Nessen who chose the drive as part of the club’s National One Day Project

“Our district, California, Nevada, and Hawaii actually started the one day project about ten years ago to make an impact in the community in one day and to help make our club visible to the community,” said Nessen.

This year’s project will collaborate with the Wolfskill 4-H Diaper Drive at the same time. Hannah Crawford and Kaylee Lindgren started that drive last year after learning that many of the increased numbers of Solano County families in need had children still in diapers.

Last year, with the help from contributors all across the county, the girls "Rounded-Up" close to 3,000 diapers. All of the diapers were distributed to Family Resource Centers in Dixon, Benicia, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville, and Vallejo. They also went to local hospitals, clinics, and to needy families.

“The cost of diapers is really high and we wanted to help these families, “ said Crawford, “We knew if we went county-wide, we’d get more diapers. We didn’t feel families would have to choose between putting gas in their car or putting diapers on their baby,” she said.

Anyone who can help with the blanket drive but cannot make it to the Walmart Store drop off, can call Dixon Kiwanis at (707) 678-7859 or email dixonkiwanis@hotmail.com. To make donations of diapers--open or unopened packages accepted--contact Wolfskill 4-H in Dixon at (707) 678-2245, or email at hannah.elyse@sbcglobal.net.