OREGON CITY, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman is trying to help homeless people in Portland one blanket at a time. She makes the blankets by hand, and even as the weather warms up, she said they’ll provide those on the streets with a sense of comfort and security.
With every stitch, Ashleyann Burnett makes a one-of-a-kind blanket.
“I like to make them fun,” Burnett said. “They’d be proud to have them.”
Burnett started a nonprofit called Handmade to the Streets, and said her efforts to help the homeless are extremely personal.
“I used to be homeless,” she said. “So I know what it’s like to hit rock bottom and not have a place to go.”
That was about 4 years ago, and last year, after spotting a homeless man without a blanket on a cold night, she decided she needed to do something.
Over the last 6 months, Burnett has created and delivered dozens of fleece blankets to homeless men and women in Portland.
“They just roll it up as if it’s a sleeping bag,” Burnett explained.
She said she usually approaches those without many belongings or a blanket, and said the response has always been positive.
“You just never know what someone’s going through,” Burnett said. “You hear a lot of people who think it’s all drug-related or they want to be on the streets, but there’s a lot where that’s not the case. They lose their families or they lose their jobs, they get a divorce and everything’s taken from them.”
Burnett said she hopes to give those people hope, and even in the warmer months, provide them with a bit of security that only a blanket can provide.
You can purchase a blanket through the Handmade to the Streets website and Burnett will deliver it to someone in need. She’ll also send you a picture of the person with information about their story.
