The night of December 4, Kerry Lobel stepped out of Puente into the frigid night. She knew the South Coast was about to suffer. Temperatures had been dropping, but that night the cold weather dipped below 30 degrees. It stayed there every night for a week. Lobel, Puente’s Executive Director, knew all too well about the living and  sleeping conditions for too many farm workers on the coast – barracks without heat, without proper insulation, and without extra blankets. Families huddled together in trailers to share body heat, only to wake up in the morning and discover their pipes had frozen. She didn’t hesitate. That Wednesday night, Lobel sent a mass email to every volunteer, donor, and friend of Puente, asking for emergency donations of blankets and sleeping bags. She sent the email at 9:30 p.m. By 10:03, she had her first reply, a $150 donation. The next day and in the week after that, Puente staff were inundated with blankets and sleeping bags, as well as cash donations. Two days after she sent out her request, Puente had amassed 300 blankets. By the next day, they had 400 blankets and $4,000 in donations for more. Schools, faith institutions, and community organizations, all took part in the blanket drive. The blankets and sleeping bags went out just as quickly as … Continue reading Freezing nights prompt massive blanket donations