What if each person on Twitter donated a blanket?

The Twitter Blanket Drive (TBD) is a uniquely South African, community-driven response to the needs of the poor during the winter months of the year. Initiated in 2010 by Founder, Melanie Minnaar, the Twitter Blanket Drive started with a single tweet:

What if each person on Twitter donated a blanket?

Since then, the Twitter Blanket Drive movement has grown exponentially, and thousands of blankets have been collected, and thereafter distributed to a range of social assistance organisations across the country.

For 2014, events will be held across the country on 29 May.

Through a well-coordinated and objectively managed process, collection points and events are created across the country. Various events are held and take the form of a “Tweetup”, whereby Twitter users tweet about donating their blankets and all enjoy a meal or drink at the collection point. Collection points have generally been restaurants or cafes.

The Twitter Blanket Drive has injected a true sense of community into the South African Twittersphere, as Twitter users across the country join in to help disadvantaged communities keep warm during the winter months.

Official #TBD2014 events will take place at:

• Johannesburg – Protea Hotel, Fire and Ice – 22 Whitley Street, Melrose Precinct
• Cape Town – Protea Hotel, Fire and Ice – New Church Street, Tamboerskloof
• Durban – Protea Hotel, Umhlanga Ridge – 14 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga

For people who are unable to attend the main event on 29 May, there are also a number of collection points across the cities – tweet @tbdafrica for a full list!

For Durban, blanket collection boxes have been placed at:

• Spiga D’Oro (Morningside)
• Spiga D’Oro (Durban North)
• St Clement’s (Musgrave)

The Durban Twitter Blanket Drive will collect blankets for Grace Family Church. All blankets donated will be handed over to Grace Family Church, who will distribute them to a variety of social assistance organisations throughout KwaZulu-Natal.