Blankets of Hope, Inc. (BOH) was founded by Marc Goldstein in December of 2011 upon reading an article in the local newspaper citing the level of poverty in the City of Reading, and also an uplifting piece on a Secret Santa gifting money to those less fortunate. The third puzzle piece came when one of Goldstein’s customers bought a blanket as an employee holiday gift. The three triggers were food for thought: how could Goldstein, as a small business owner at that time, help the community?
After reaching out to various Berks agencies, Goldstein connected with Sharon Parker of the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness. From there, Parker linked him to five Berks shelters, the originating recipients of Blankets of Hope: Opportunity House, Hope Rescue Mission, Mary’s Shelter, YMCA of Reading & Berks County and Berks Counseling Center.
In January of 2012, BOH became a nonprofit corporation & in 2014, BOH received its 501(c)(3) status. In the organization’s first two years, 2,000+ blankets were donated to the five recipient shelters through the help of private and corporate sector donations.
In 2016, Chef Tim’s Take the Chill-Off event grew BOH’s mission further. For every delicious bowl of chili made by Chef Tim Twiford (Executive Chef and Director of Foodservice for Redner’s Markets) sold for $5, a blanket was ordered for someone in need. The first year saw enough raised for 1,100 blankets. In 2017, that number was up to 1,450. Most recently, 2019 saw 2.5 tons of chili cooked up for the 4th annual event, netting more than $22,000 used to purchase blankets, and towards Blanket of Hope’s newest effort, its bed program, which kicked off in July of 2019 with the help of Fecera’s Furniture.
The bed program sees Blankets of Hope donations used to purchase bed sets that include a twin mattress and box spring, a pillow, twin sheet set and mattress pad, as well as the signature BOH 50×60-inch standard fleece blanket and a 60×90-inch cot blanket. Working with Immanuel UCC, 50-60 children receiving the bed sets have also been gifted caddies filled with essential items.
There is a MAJOR need for beds in Berks County. Our biggest obstacle is having enough funds to make sure every adult, and especially every child, is not sleeping on the floor. Our focus is on those individuals transitioning into a more permanent situation.
To date, 400 plus bed sets have been donated to individuals in need through organizations including: Reading School District, Life House, Safe Berks, Family Promise, SAM, Olivets Boys & Girls Club, CONCERN – Fleetwood, Threads of Change, Mary’s Shelter, Habitat for Humanity Berks County, YMCA of Reading & Berks County and BCPS/Berks Connections.
With the blanket program, dating back to December of 2011, Blankets of Hope has donated 70,000+ brand new fleece blankets to well over 100 organizations mainly in Berks County and some beyond. And the number continues to grow by the day. But your help is needed to continue the mission.
How does it work?
We do not warehouse our blankets or beds, which eliminates overhead costs. For example, when you donate $100, we can ship 15 blankets directly to the organization in need. The process is quick and efficient. Recipients typically have their blankets in hand in about 2-3 days. We only accept monetary donations and can make an immediate impact.
Cost breakdown
Beds: $175 for a twin mattress and box spring set. 1 free bed is donated by the manufacturer for every 10 purchased, lowering our cost to $160.00.
50″ x 60″ blanket: $6.50 each
60″ x 90″ blanket: $13.50 each
Pillows: $5 – $6 each
Twin Sheet Sets w/ Pillow Case: $10 – $13
Mattress Covers: $10 – $15 each
EVERY penny donated to Blankets of Hope is used to purchase blankets, beds and bedding for those individuals in need. After all… Every person deserves to feel Secure, to be Warm, and to have HOPE!
78,000
Blankets Donated Since Dec 2011
500
Twin Mattress & Box Springs Donated Since 2019
3,000
Pairs of Socks Donated Since Dec 2011
85,000
Disposable Masks Donated Since the Start of the Pandemic
Beneficiaries
Every person deserves to feel Secure, to be Warm, and to have HOPE! Blankets of Hope is a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Some of the Organizations We Help.
- Opportunity House
- Hope Rescue Mission
- Mary’s Shelter
- Berks Counseling Center
- YMCA of Reading & Berks County
- Berks Coalition to End Homelessness
- City Lights Ministries
- The Children’s Home of Reading
- Bethany Children’s Home
- CHoP—Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Safe BERKS
- Olivets Boys & Girls Club
- Comfort Cases
Board Members
Marc J. Goldstein
Founder & President
George Reinoehl
Treasurer
Michael D. Dautrich
Co-Founder & Secretary
Randy Boyer
Co-Founder & Board Member
Jeff Motze
Board Member
Don Rebholz
Board Member
Jason Arnold
Board Member
Edwin Yoder
Board Member
Marcie L. Miller
Board Member
Fundraising
8th Annual Chef Tim’s “Take the Chill Off”
Presented by Redner’s Markets
Saturday February 11th (Saturday before the Big Game)
Our Partners
Donations can be mailed to:
Blankets of Hope, Inc.
PO Box 3617
Reading, PA 19606
© 2011 – 2022 Blankets of Hope, Inc. is a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.