The Blanket Project
Donation protected
Earlier this year, I did a project for my college Photojournalism class which involved interviewing and photographing local homeless people.
The overwhelming theme from everyone I spoke to that day was family. A sense of community. Sharing the little they had and keeping eachother alive. Yet, when I questioned each one of them about their plans for winter I was met mostly by shrugs.
While driving away, and in the days which followed, I couldn't shake the thought of winter from my head. They say it's going to be an extra cold one this year. Being seriously prone to coldness myself, I imagined everyone I'd met spending months shivering and scared. This nightmarish reality haunted me to the point of driving to Goodwill and other thrift stores in search of the cheapest, warmest blankets I could find.
I was able to find 12 reasonably priced blankets. I took photos of each of their price tags in order to stay organized and on-budget. Then I loaded up my friends car and headed to the park. I spoke with and photographed each recipient because I like to put a face with each blanket. Suddenly the $1.99 or $3.25 doesn't matter so much that way.
However I am still a working college student, and as much as part of me wants to buy 100 blankets right now, it's not a sustainable project by myself. That is why I decided to create this GoFundMe.
I believe simple comforts - like a little extra warmth as the sun goes down - can make a huge difference, but the real transformation occurs within random acts of kindness. I can't give people real shelter, but I can treat them like people. And people deserve warmth.
It's very feasible to find 100 blankets for $3 or less. Even if you can only spare $3 for this cause, that $3 -which could have otherwise bought your coffee for the day - may now keep somebody warm for months.
I am committed to dilligently keeping track of where and to whom every donated dollar goes. All I need is a little help in order to spread more warmth during the long winter. I'm sharing on this platform in hopes that together we can accomplish far more than I can alone.
Send all musings and inquiries to [email redacted]. I'd love to partner with a person or organization who could help nourish this idea to greater abundance while maintaining its essence.
Thank you so much for reading this :)
I really appreciate it.
With love,
Taylor Bradley
Interested in helping The Blanket Project thrive in other cities? Please visit The Blanket Project - San Francisco to support my friend Mercedes with her efforts in California! To help my friends Logan and Robin in the Midwest, check out The Blanket Project - St. Louis :)
The overwhelming theme from everyone I spoke to that day was family. A sense of community. Sharing the little they had and keeping eachother alive. Yet, when I questioned each one of them about their plans for winter I was met mostly by shrugs.
While driving away, and in the days which followed, I couldn't shake the thought of winter from my head. They say it's going to be an extra cold one this year. Being seriously prone to coldness myself, I imagined everyone I'd met spending months shivering and scared. This nightmarish reality haunted me to the point of driving to Goodwill and other thrift stores in search of the cheapest, warmest blankets I could find.
I was able to find 12 reasonably priced blankets. I took photos of each of their price tags in order to stay organized and on-budget. Then I loaded up my friends car and headed to the park. I spoke with and photographed each recipient because I like to put a face with each blanket. Suddenly the $1.99 or $3.25 doesn't matter so much that way.
However I am still a working college student, and as much as part of me wants to buy 100 blankets right now, it's not a sustainable project by myself. That is why I decided to create this GoFundMe.
I believe simple comforts - like a little extra warmth as the sun goes down - can make a huge difference, but the real transformation occurs within random acts of kindness. I can't give people real shelter, but I can treat them like people. And people deserve warmth.
It's very feasible to find 100 blankets for $3 or less. Even if you can only spare $3 for this cause, that $3 -which could have otherwise bought your coffee for the day - may now keep somebody warm for months.
I am committed to dilligently keeping track of where and to whom every donated dollar goes. All I need is a little help in order to spread more warmth during the long winter. I'm sharing on this platform in hopes that together we can accomplish far more than I can alone.
Send all musings and inquiries to [email redacted]. I'd love to partner with a person or organization who could help nourish this idea to greater abundance while maintaining its essence.
Thank you so much for reading this :)
I really appreciate it.
With love,
Taylor Bradley
Interested in helping The Blanket Project thrive in other cities? Please visit The Blanket Project - San Francisco to support my friend Mercedes with her efforts in California! To help my friends Logan and Robin in the Midwest, check out The Blanket Project - St. Louis :)
Organizer
Taylor Bradley
Organizer
Grand Junction, CO
