TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With the season of giving approaching, Tucsonan Eric Dupree is kicking off his eighth annual blanket drive for people who are experiencing homelessness.
His idea for the initiative came almost a decade ago when he was working a serving job.
“I took all the tips that I got for the month and just went and bought a bunch of blankets at Walmart, and made a bunch of sandwiches and got some toiletries and went to hand them out,” Dupree said.
He explained that giving back has always been something that is very important to him.
“Personally, I feel like I'm super blessed with my family and the kind of the situation that I was put into, but not everyone is like that, you can't choose the family or the situation you're born into. So I think those who are in a position to help others, should.”
Each year he has been able to give more and more with the help of family, friends and social media.
If interested in donating you can contact Dupree through Facebook or make a monetary donation on GoFundMe. Monetary donations will be used to purchase items.
Examples of items to donate include:
- Blankets
- Jackets
- Beanies
- Socks
- Toiletries
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
