When Katie returned home after her mission trip, she befriended many members of the local homeless community through a weekly meal program. When she saw their need for warmth during the winter, she got her classmates involved in collecting hundreds of blankets to be distributed through local organizations. Her project, “Beloved Blankets,” provided 400 blankets for a Christmas party sponsored by the local homeless coalition.

Katie said, “My biggest ‘Yea God’ is the picture I have in my mind of leaving the Homeless Christmas party and seeing people walking down the street with the blankets wrapped around them. A small item, such as a blanket, can have such a direct impact on the way they live.” She and her classmates are continuing to collect and make blankets.