In his inaugural address, President Obama said to his American constituency, "[W]e know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness." Obama referred to a metaphorical patchwork of people with different roots. But his words brought a more literal idea of the patchwork history of America to Mesh Gelman’s mind.
For Gelman, the more literal patchwork history of America can be found in the sackcloth quilts born of Depression-era necessity. The history lives in the code quilts of the Underground Railroad and in the World War I Red Cross quilts. This patchwork history represents Americans coming together in times of need to provide for each other. Now, it continues with Gelman’s organization, Blanket America.
Blanket America Buy 1, Give 1 program introduces a new model for philanthropy that aims to unite social good and capitalism. When individuals purchase a quilt with a Blanket America tag, Gelman’s company, Extreme Linen, will donate a blanket to someone in need. He hopes to give away one million blankets this winter.
Gelman’s charity turns acts of consumption into a social gift; as people meet their own needs, they can target the needs of others. As author Adam Penenberg describes it, Blanket America promotes the theory that "the more you buy, the more you give."
So far, Americans are buying strong to help Gelman reach his million blanket goal. The organization’s website shows pictures of the quilt in the homes of the growing number of Americans who have already made purchases. Additionally, 5,000 blankets were recently pledged on the Today Show.
Blanket America has formed a partnership with Gifts in Kind International to help reach Americans who can most use blankets this season. The organization has also partnered with JC Penny, Amazon.com, and QVC to make the charitable blankets available to a wide range of American consumers.
Fans of the quilts can also join the nonprofit’s Facebook group and follow it on Twitter to post their concerns about the country’s issues, as well as to learn about any discounts on the blankets provided by participating retailers. 