Thousands of blankets arrive for Tucson homeless

Three large semi-trucks full of blankets rolled into Tucson on Thursday night, bringing roughly 11,400 blankets to give out to the area’s homeless.

The blankets, part of the Department of Defense’s Homeless Blanket Program, had been scheduled to be sent to Tucson earlier this month but were diverted to colder climates. Local nonprofits raised the alarm several weeks ago that the blankets weren’t scheduled to arrive here until January.

But thanks to an effort spearheaded by Tucson Councilman Richard Fimbres, thousands of blankets have arrived here for distribution to local nonprofits.

When Fimbres learned the annual shipment of blankets from the federal agency wouldn’t arrive until late January, he started a community-wide drive to get blankets donated to the city.

More than 4,000 blankets were donated by local businesses and community members, Fimbres said. Those blankets then were given to nonprofits working with the homeless community.

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Those donations, said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, helped save lives as the Tucson nights grew colder in December.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally said when she learned about the delay in the DOD blankets arriving here, she immediately went to the federal agency to figure out how to expedite the delivery.

“It is really great that these blankets arrived today, just in time for the New Year and before the next cold front comes,” McSally said.

The blankets from the federal government are made of recycled material and designed to be used for a day or two. Blankets are available to anyone who needs them at the Salvation Army Hospitality House, 1002 N. Main Ave.