Local program gives blankets, warmth

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

Staying warm during the winter months can be a struggle for anyone, but one local program is trying to help seniors and others in need by distributing more than 1,400 fleece blankets.

The blankets, which were donated by Berkshire Blanket Co. in Ware, are being distributed through the support of the TRIAD program of Hampshire County, a community policing initiative run by the region's Sheriff's Office and the Northwestern district attorney's office that supports the elderly in various ways.

"We are committed to doing whatever kind of outreach we can to help the community whenever possible," said Pierre Rodrigue, public relations director for Berkshire Blanket Co. "We look to use our surplus inventory wherever we can but if we think a program has a good idea, we will support it with whatever we have available."

According to Dave Fenton, a representative for the Hampshire Sheriff's Office, nearly all of the blankets have been delivered to area senior centers and survival shelters over the past three weeks.

"The focus of this effort is getting support out to local elders who may qualify for fuel assistance," said Fenton. "Our first line of defense on that are our councils on aging, their outreach workers and social service people who can identify people who may need our help."

Although the primary focus of the program was to get the blankets to senior citizens in need, Chris Geffin, of the Northwestern district attorney's office, said the state of the local and national economies made finding other sources for the blankets an easy task.

"We knew that there would be people this year that were struggling with the weather and fuel costs," Geffin said. "We have also given blankets to local police and fire departments and area veterans through the Soldier On program."

Soldier On is a private nonprofit that aims to help homeless veterans. TRIAD is a national organization that is represented in 47 states across the country. In Hampshire County, 13 communities are actively involved with the program.

For more information about TRIAD or their blanket program, contact the Hampshire Sheriff's Office at 585-0618 or the DA's office at 586-9225.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com