HELENA — Honor Lodge 51 has been working for months to gather arctic fleece blankets to warm and provide a simple comfort to patients at Fort Harrison VA Medical Center.
The gift was inspired by lodge member and veteran Walter Hoveland who experienced the comfort of a warm blanket that other veterans on his floor did not have because of limited resources.
On Wednesday, Walter and other lodge members donated 120 blankets to be used this winter at the VA.
Shelly O'Connor, the chief of voluntary services at Fort Harrison VA Medical Center shared the importance of community effort.
"It is an amazing gift. You know we really have to rely on our community partners, veteran's organization, community organizations to help us best serve our veterans," O'Connor says. "This is something that is a really small thing but is also very very big making sure that our veterans are warm.”
For more on the story behind the blankets visit our previous story Blankets for Veterans.
If you want to support Blankets for Veterans donations can be mailed to Ottawa Lodge No. 51.
