Bringing hope through blankets in eastern Kentucky

News & Updates | Posted Friday, December 1, 2017

Kentucky may be in the south, but that doesn’t prevent the state from experiencing extreme bouts of cold in the winter, particularly in the evenings when it frequently drops below freezing. This is particularly difficult for those who are experiencing homelessness. WestCare Kentucky Emergency Shelter in Pikeville is described by director Anna Coleman as Pikeville’s “…best kept secret” since many …

CWS Kits and Blankets Reach Flooded Households in Rural Kentucky

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, November 5, 2014

“We never needed help before.  We didn’t know where to turn for help.” Volunteers heard that a lot recently as they delivered CWS Kits and Blankets to survivors of destructive flooding in hard-to-reach rural areas of Floyd County, Ky. Many residents said they had never been flooded before heavy rains in late summer caused flash flooding and overflowing creeks.  Many …

Blankets Matter

News & Updates | Posted Friday, March 7, 2014

I’m sitting here in my warm office in Ohio having survived two or three polar vortexes and several massive dumpings of snow.  One thought seems to continually enter my head: What are the people who call the outside home doing this winter? And then a second question: What am I doing for them? There are many instances in our lives …

CWS Buckets, Blankets and Kits Reach Flood Survivors in Colorado

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, September 26, 2013

In areas of Colorado ravaged by floods earlier this month, CWS Emergency Clean Up Buckets, Blankets and Kits are getting into the hands of survivors. In Longmont, Colo. — population 88,000 — some 7,000 houses were affected, said the Rev. Rick King, Senior Minister of the United Church of Christ, Longmont.  His congregation’s disaster response team is assisting local households …

CWS Kits and Blankets Aid Disaster-battered Kentucky County

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, August 22, 2013

CWS Kits and Blankets are bringing practical comfort to people in Floyd County, Ky., who are struggling amidst multiple disasters – including flash flooding that overwhelmed schools and homes on August 12. The flooding further battered a county already devastated by 80 percent unemployment due to the collapse of coal mining and still recovering from deadly tornados that swept Eastern …

Blankets+ is an Annual Event

News & Updates | Posted Friday, July 26, 2013

April flowers bring May flowers, but what does January bring?  At Swissdale United Methodist Church, January brings blankets.  Year after year, the Lock Haven, Penn., congregation exceeds its goal of collecting enough money for CWS to purchase 100 blankets.  Since 2000 the church has raised more than $8,000 for the Blankets+ program through its January collections. Shirley Probst says they …

CWS Kits and Blankets Newly Deployed in Five States

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Recent shipments of CWS Kits and Blankets mean practical comfort for survivors of flooding in Ohio, wildfires in Colorado, tornadoes in Oklahoma, Superstorm Sandy in New York and a series of disasters in West Virginia.  Materials sent by request of local service providers include: 200 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets, going to First Christian Church in Mansfield, Ohio, for distribution to …

What each part of the “plus” means in CWS Blankets+

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Five children explained what each part of the “plus” means in CWS Blankets+ and then they put the “plus” together on the large blanket during the Children’s Moment of the service… I made black “pluses” to put on the windows in the Sanctuary, one for every $50 collected. Last year Churchill Memorial United Methodist Church donated $1567 to Blankets+, so …

Zion UCC promotes Blankets+ in the Advent-Christmas season

News & Updates | Posted Friday, January 27, 2012

“Zion U.C.C. in Henderson, Ky, schedules the Church World Service Blankets+ appeal in the Advent-Christmas season.  We use posters to announce the effort and publish it with a list of mission projects.  We have a CWS blanket displayed and used in our youth and children’s sermon during worship.  During the presentation, which frankly is just as much for the adults …

Weedsport, NY, church enthused about Blankets+ Program

News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011

“My congregation is enthused about being part of the Blankets+ Program, because they know that their contributions are making a big difference in people’s lives, and in the future of entire communities.  Blankets+ is an investment that pays long-term dividends in the form of better health, higher standards of living, and environmental preservation in areas of the world where the …