Three local organizations in need received arm loads of blankets on Friday.
The Central Local Council of the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta donated 60 blankets to the Red Deer Christmas Bureau and 30 to Innisfail’s bureau.
Urban Barn also presented the Safe Harbour Society with 162 new fleece blankets as part of the retail store’s second annual Blanket the Country in Warmth campaign.
Urban Barn, specializing in furniture and home accents, reached its target of collecting 10,000 blankets for shelters across the country this year thanks to every customer’s $5 donation in store from Nov. 15 to Dec. 8.
They smashed last year’s total of 8,000 blankets and plan to have all blankets delivered to 24 selected shelters across Canada by Dec. 20.
The hot purple blankets from the insurance brokers are already on the shelves at the Christmas Bureau.
Scott Romans, chairman of the IBAA Central Local Council, said the blanket donation is worth approximately $1,700.
Romans, a broker for Ing & McKee Insurance Ltd., said it’s been a number of years since the local IBAA group has made a large donation to Christmas charities.
“We’re trying to give back more and support our community, especially with the recent floods and the impact there. The interest is there among members to do more of these things in the coming years,” Romans said.