Bettendorf Rotary collecting blankets for the homeless

The Rotary Club of Bettendorf has kicked off its second annual Bettendorf Rotary Blanket Drive in the Quad Cities area. 

The club’s goal is to receive more than 4,000 blankets in 2022, which would double the amount collected last year. The eight-week collection drive began Monday, Oct. 3, and runs through Friday, Dec. 2. 

After blankets are donated at several dropoff box locations and received from various workplace blanket drives, they will be distributed to dozens of area nonprofit agencies that help homeless and low-income individuals and families (including many children). The free blankets are an effort to help them keep a little warmer this winter.

Joe Campion, the Bettendorf Rotarian who launched this effort, said “We envision that the number of blankets received during the Rotary Blanket Drive could cover several acres if laid corner to corner – an image of ‘acres of warmth’ to keep those less fortunate warmer during the cold winter months.”

New or clean, gently used blankets may be dropped off at these public locations: 

  • Bettendorf Public Library – 2950 Learning Campus Drive.
  • Bettendorf City Hall – 1609 State St.
  • Bettendorf Police Department – 1609 State St.
  • K & K Hardware, 1818 Grant St., Bettendorf.
  • Mediacom Village Shopping Center – 902 W. Kimberly Rd., Davenport.
  • Duck Creek Tire & Service/Ron’s Toy Box – 4000 Middle Rd., Bettendorf.
  • Farrells Extreme Bodyshaping – 2501 53rd Ave., Bettendorf. 
  • All Scott County YMCAs including Bittner YMCA – 630 E. 4th St., Davenport; North Family YMCA, 624 W. 53rd St., Davenport; West Family YMCA – 3503 W. Locust St., Davenport; Bettendorf Family YMCA – 3800 Tanglefoot Lane; Utica Ridge YMCA – 4885 Utica Ridge Road, Davenport.

A special QR code and landing page has been created at RotaryBlanketDrive.org for additional information and to make a monetary donation. Every $8 donation allows the Rotary Club to purchase a new blanket.

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