Annual Blanket Drive Benefits Austin's Homeless This Winter

AUSTIN, TX— Front Steps, an Austin nonprofit offering a continuum of services that help people transition from homelessness into housing, invite the community to participate in their Winter 2020-2021 Annual Blanket Drive for individuals experiencing homelessness. Last year's donors helped the organization distribute 1,000 new, large blankets, and in 2020/2021, Front Steps needs your help to reach the goal of receiving 1,300 blankets to benefit the City's underserved homeless community.

In the course of its more than 20 year history, Front Steps has learned what works and what doesn't for the communities they serve. Large blankets, preferably twin sized, best address the cold nights, with smaller 60" x 80" blankets often not ideal to protect from the low temperatures and are more likely to be abandoned. This year, as in 2019, Front Steps will only accept large size blankets for donation.

Useful Guidelines When Selecting a Blanket to Donate

TYPE of blanket:

• Wool blankets are a no-go, because most people living rough have skin damage and the wool is terribly irritating to wind/sun burned skin.
• Cotton blankets are a no-go, because they soak up moisture from dew/rain/sleet and they become too heavy to carry and there is no way to dry them.
• Acrylic blankets like the ones we have provided links for (below) are the BEST choice. They are lightweight, repel water, and keep the wind and cold away.

SIZE of blanket:

• Small blankets don’t keep out the wind and cold. Our clients are adult men, and they know small throws won’t keep them warm.
• Blankets smaller than 60” x 80” are not large enough to wrap up in, and when we offer smaller blankets we understand why clients turn them down or abandon them. If you have to carry everything you own/need with you, you really choose those things that are useful to be worth the weight.

Here are links for a few blankets that fit the bill:

• https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/berkshire-blanket-reg-original-microfleece-trade-blanket/5431955?categoryId=15554
• https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Bedding-Blanket-Turquoise-Microfiber/dp/B084RKG2NN/ref=sr_1_6?c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Blankets+%26+Throws&qid=1608307982&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A362279011&s=bedbath&sr=1-6&ts_id=1063280
• https://www.walmart.com/ip/All-Season-FLEECE-BLANKET-All-Sizes-Twin-Twin-XL-Chocolate-Brown/102745085
• https://www.target.com/p/microplush-bed-blanket-threshold-153/-/A-50950586?preselect=78421064#lnk=sametab
• https://www.target.com/p/bare-home-microplush-fleece-blanket/-/A-80860895?preselect=80860930#lnk=sametab
• https://www.target.com/p/ultra-premium-plush-blanket/-/A-52058826?preselect=51982230#lnk=sametab
• https://www.target.com/p/micro-fleece-bed-blanket-vellux/-/A-81826855?preselect=81618916#lnk=sametab

For more information, click HERE.