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

Drop off Venues Include 

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

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: 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.

ENDS For more information on events, blanket collection points and beneficiaries, please contact: Durban Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Fred Felton @fredfelton Johannesburg Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Serena Grobler @SerenaCG Cape Town Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Merentia van der Ven - @Merentia Follow the Twitter Blanket Drive on Twitter: #TBD2014 @tbdafrica

Web: www.twitterblanketdrive.wordpress.com