Calling all knitters, crochet groups and anyone with a heart for veterans! Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care is putting out a call for donations of new red, white and blue throw blankets for veteran patients in our care. We aim to secure donations of up to 100 new, snuggly, patriotic blankets by March 2.
Pikes Peak Hospice serves over 2,200 families each year, and nearly one quarter of those patients are veterans. In fact, the number of veterans served by Pikes Peak Hospice has grown 60 percent in the past three years.
Last year, PPHPC performed over 100 bedside salutes and pinning ceremonies for veterans in our care as a way to show appreciation for their service to our country. Those ceremonies include the gift of a new red, white and blue throw blanket, which helps keep patients warm and comforted.
“We have wonderful volunteers who often donate their newly handmade patriotic blankets, but we’ve been running short, and we want to ensure every pinning ceremony we perform includes this simple yet heartfelt token of appreciation,” says Sonya Bergeron, veteran liaison with Pikes Peak Hospice. Pictured above is volunteer Barbara Kohlhaas, who has knitted blankets for PPHPC for many years.
PPHPC is encouraging individuals and informal knitting and crochet groups to create soft throw blankets in red, white and blue designs; we also have set up an Amazon wish list, identifying fleece blankets that can be purchased and donated to the organization. “We’re putting out a stretch goal to receive 100 new, donated, red-white-and-blue throw blankets by March 2, which will ensure we’re able to meet this need of our veteran patients for several months,” says Bergeron.
Donated new blankets may be dropped off or delivered to Pikes Peak Hospice’s offices and Inpatient Care Center at 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St. To purchase a blanket on Amazon for Pikes Peak Hospice, go to bit.ly/ForOurVeterans. Interested donors or volunteers may email VolunteerServices@PikesPeakHospice.org with questions.