Blankets of Hope spreads warmth, security to Pennsylvania shelters, hospitals

READING, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Marc Goldstein is on a mission.

"For a lot of us, we take blankets for granted," he said. "But for someone homeless, it could be their bed for the night. Their pillow. A place to rest so they don't get wet from the rain."

After reading an article about the state of the city of Reading, he asked himself, 'What can I do to help?'

The businessman founded Blankets of Hope in 2011 and since then has provided more than 78,000 blankets to shelters, hospitals, prisons, veterans, and animal rescues.

"We ship them direct to the customer to avoid any overhead," said Goldstein. "Over the years it's grown so far beyond what I imagined. There's a real need out there."

Blankets can be used for the back of law enforcement vehicles or for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Seniors can use them to stay warm in the winter months. Goldstein sees no limit.

He says neither he nor his board receive any monetary compensation for their work at Blankets of Hope. They use a friend's office space for work area and rely on volunteers and word of mouth to get his mission out there.

One hundred and forty blankets were donated to the Fox Chase Cancer Center recently to patients to use while undergoing treatment or even just sitting in the waiting room.

Project HOME is one of the beneficiaries of Goldstein's non-profit, where on this day he provided 200 new blankets. For Project HOME, it's important to get quality new blankets to help serve the homeless population in Philadelphia.

"It's all about bringing hope to someone who might be going through something negative in their life. And that's what Blankets of Hope is all about," he said.

You can check out Blankets of Hope at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BlanketsofHopeBerks/ and https://www.blanketsofhopepa.org

For those looking to give to Project HOME, you can check out their site at https://www.projecthome.org/donate-food-personal-care-items