Homeless Memorial Blanket Project's National Day of Action display in Maine on April 22 will highlight the link between homelessness and domestic violence - Homeless Memorial Rememberance Blanket Project

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 7, 2025

Contact

Scott McLarty, (202) 878-2112, scott@memorialblanket.org

Homeless Memorial Blanket Project’s National Day of Action display in Maine on April 22 will highlight the link between homelessness and domestic violence

Handmade blankets will be donated to domestic violence shelters

When: Tuesday, April 22, noon to 7 pm

Where: Maine Mall in the Center Concourse, 364 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, Maine

SOUTH PORTLAND, ME — The Homeless Memorial Blanket Project (https://memorialblanket.org) will display handmade blankets and quilts at Maine Mall in South Portland, Maine on Tuesday, April 22 to highlight the link between homelessness and domestic violence.

The display inside Maine Mall (Center Concourse) in South Portland, Maine is one of many events planned for the Housing NOW! National Day of Action organized by National Coalition for the Homeless (https://nationalhomeless.org/housing-now-national-day-of-action/). The blankets on display were created by artisans from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maine.

Organizers of the blanket display, partnering with Through These Doors (https://www.throughthesedoors.org), said that escaping domestic violence is a primary cause of homelessness for women.

“Domestic violence is a crime forcing countless adults and their children to live on the street,” Blanket Project organizer Pat LaMarche. “Now that the Supreme Court has criminalized homelessness, this vulnerable population can be assaulted by their government as well. Our blanket makers have taken notice and want to gift their blankets to Through These Doors and other domestic violence shelters so that the victims know that they are not forgotten.”

After the display, the blankets and quilts will be donated to domestic violence shelters.

The April 22 date marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s hearing of oral arguments in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case, in which the city of Grants Pass in California defended a law that effectively criminalized homelessness.

The court sided with Grants Pass and against the right of people experiencing homelessness not to be ticketed, harassed, arrested, or jailed or to lose all their belongings because of their lack of housing. Among those endangered by the ruling are women and children fleeing abuse in their homes, with nowhere else to go.

Founded in 1977, Through These Doors serves victims and survivors of domestic abuse, dating violence, and stalking. Its core service is a free, confidential, anonymous 24-hour helpline.

“We are pleased that the Memorial Blanket Project chose our community this year to highlight the plight of unhoused individuals, particularly those who are homeless due to domestic violence, said Rebecca Hobbs, co-director of Through These Doors, the only regional domestic violence resource center in Cumberland County, Maine. “Domestic violence is the primary cause of homelessness for women and in our community, we are not able to meet the need for shelter beds or safe affordable housing after shelter.”

“We thank the Memorial Blanket Project and the Charles Bruce Foundation for the moving demonstrations they create all over the county of real people of all ages and genders who too often resort to fleeing their home and facing life on the street or their car to stay safe. None of us should have to make those choices,” said Ms. Hobbs.

Donations of blankets and quilts for April 22

The Homeless Memorial Blanket Project’s last display took place at Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 21, 2024. More than one thousand donated handmade blankets and quilts covered the lawn and were thereafter distributed to families and individuals without homes.

Those who would like to contribute their skills to the April 22, 2025 display can create blankets and quilts using any method they prefer — by knitting, crocheting, quilting, or sewing — and can donate them through the Memorial Blanket Initiative.

The blankets can be either 45 inches x 80 inches for individuals or 60 inches x 80 inches for family blankets. The Memorial Blanket newsletter at https://memorialblanket.org will provide information on transporting blankets to the display location.

In Maine, Pastor Michael Rhyne of Redeemer Lutheran Church, 504 Essex Street in Bangor, will be setting up pick ups around the state for people with handmade blankets they’d like to gift to a person fleeing domestic violence.

For those unable to make blankets but still eager to contribute, financial donations are also accepted to help cover shipping costs, materials for others to turn into blankets and to support other organizational efforts. Donations can be made directly at https://memorialblanket.org.

The Homeless Memorial Blanket Project is hosted by the Charles Bruce Foundation (https://charlesbrucefoundation.com), which is located in central Pennsylvania. The April 22 display will be an arts installation by this nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

#memorialblanket

MORE INFORMATION

Homeless Memorial Blanket Project on Facebook (national group)

To find a state Facebook group, type Homeless Remembrance Blanket and the state’s name in Search

https://www.facebook.com/groups/322512689587858

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemorialBlanket

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