Our Story

A Department of Energy study found 25 million American households skipping food and medicine to pay for energy, with 7 million reporting they did so every month.

U.S. Energy Information Administration

Our Story

Two years ago I began volunteering for a peer mentoring group in New York. They matched kids diagnosed with a mental health disorder to an older student in order to help build a friendship. I was matched with an 11-year-boy who showed me his harsh reality. Even the most intelligent 6th graders are sometimes swallowed up by the tough situations they have been put in. Johnnie was fascinated by the size and variety of college libraries. After we would spend a few hours studying and talking, Johnnie would invite me over to watch TV with his dad and older brother.

There we were, four guys huddled together on one couch in front of three electric space heaters, bundled up with winter coats inside in January. The local news would be on and Johnnie’s father liked to share stories every time I came. When it was time to go to bed, the boys would each take one heater to their bedroom to help stay warm and I would walk outside to my car in the 15º weather wearing the same clothes I had on in the house.

Something did not feel right. Johnnie’s father would get up early, shovel the driveways of his elderly neighbors, and make sure he could offer me dinner when I was over. Yet, no one seemed to be looking out for him. In a small way, Johnnie’s Blankets hopes to change that.