Cleveland Browns giving away game tickets to those who donate blankets to homeless

As the temperature begin to fall, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) works to give comfort to those who are resistant to living in a shelter or those forced to live in the overflow shelters. 

This year, the Cleveland Browns are joining the effort by donating one ticket (while they last) to the Dec. 16 game against the Redskins for every two blankets dropped off at the Homeless Coalition’s offices.

"The largest men’s shelter has operated above capacity since August and the women’s shelter has seen a sharp increase in families seeking help since May, so we are going to need additional supplies this winter to serve the increasing population," said Brian Davis, community organizer for NEOCH in a news release. "We are still working on recovering from the financial downturn, and all of the shelters and churches are stretched to the breaking point. We need a big outpouring of help to meet the growing demand for homeless services."

The offer began Saturday. Weekdays, NEOCH will open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. to accommodate people dropping off blankets for the holidays.

NEOCH prefers new blankets, but will accept “like new and clean” blankets.  The organization intends to distribute the 1,000 blankets collected during the holiday weeks through the program to those in greatest need.