How to Donate Blankets

If you've ever tried to sleep at the home of a friend who lacked spare bedding, you understand the value of blankets. Blankets ward off cold, provide comfort and security, and cushion your body against hard surfaces. For all these reasons, blankets are needed items for homeless shelters, animal rescue missions and other charitable organizations. Instead of tossing out an old blanket you don't care for anymore, give it a thorough wash and donate it to the charity of your choice.

A quick Internet search pulls up organizations in your area that accept blankets as donations, including rescue missions and animal shelters. Call schools in your area to locate charities that help families in need; call veterinarian clinics to locate pets in need. Call or visit a charity's website before you make a donation to find out if it actually needs blankets or is inundated with them; if it does need them, check for drop-off or pickup times. If you have a handmade blanket, donate it to Project Linus -- a mission that specializes in delivering homemade blankets to the needy -- or to Comfort for Critters, which specializes in homemade blankets for animals. While many animal shelters welcome blanket donations, others, like the Animal Humane Society in Minnesota, prefer towels, cloth and fleece to blankets. Likewise, most charities prefer not to accept donations that are stained, dirty or too worn to be reused.