DAYTON, Ohio – A hospice is trying to help patients who may be dying with blankets. 

It might seem like just a simple blanket, but to Linda Simpson, there’s a much deeper meaning. 

“We got a note not too long ago from a gentleman who said his mother absolutely loved her blanket so much, she wanted to be buried with it,” said Simpson.

She goes from room to room, putting down what might just be the last thing a patient will ever hold. 

“He closed the note with 'thank you for a very special last gift for my mother,'” said Simpson. 

That’s why she organized an effort at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton to make sure every patient gets one before they pass away. 

“When somebody is, to me, at the end of life, a lot of things matter,” said Simpson.

She said they’ve been going through about 200 blankets a month, but they've been running out. 

The volunteer coordinator asked for volunteers to do something she thought would take a lot of time.

“Crochet takes about 10 hours, a knit blanket takes about 40, and then quilting, there’s so many varieties, that could take so many hours,” said Simpson.

But in a matter of just a few days on social media, volunteers answered the call to help make more blankets.

And suddenly, she said their blanket bins and their hearts were full. 

“I think that somebody out there that doesn’t know you, wants you to have something special, means a lot," said Simpson. 

The volunteer coordinator said they’re still looking for volunteers who knit to help them keep those blanket bins full. 

If you’ll like to help, you can reach out to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton.