World Medical Relief is a Southfield-based nonprofit that provides medical supplies and medicine around the world, but for more than two decades it's been collecting blankets for those in need in metro Detroit.
"There are quite a few women and children for instance in different shelters who really don't have anything and those shelters come to us and say, 'can you give us blankets' and that's what we do," says Josephine Jabara of World Medical Relief.
The goal is to collect 10,000 blankets. The nonprofit is specifically asking for new, washable twin size blankets and crib blankets.
"What people don't realize 43 percent of the homeless in metro Detroit are actually young women with little children... the average age of 6," she says.
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries serves 2,200 people every day and has been partnering with World Medical Relief for more than a decade.
"We need those blankets because it saves money to our budget, and makes us focus on buying food and pay for other stuff that we need to focus on helping chronic homeless coming into our facilities," says Chad Audi, the president and CEO of DRMM.
Angela Dearing is with the Detroit nonprofit Positive Images, which provides substance abuse recovery services to families. She says receiving the blankets makes a huge difference for them, too.
"They come to our facility without any clothing or without blankets, so when we do provide that service they are really appreciative," Dearing said.
World medical relief will start giving out the blankets in mid-November, but will continue through the season. Jabara is hoping to get as many donations as possible very soon.
"Please act on it," Jabara said. "It's getting colder. Bring your blanket in as soon as possible."
You can drop the blankets off at World Medical Relief's headquarters at 21725 Melrose Ave. in Southfield.
To learn more about the blanket relief drive or make a monetary donation, go to:https://www.worldmedicalrelief.org/blanketrelief
