Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health

What Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health does

Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health is a Canadian registered charity headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, founded in 1996 by Sheila Ethier, a registered nurse. The organization operates a single-purpose charitable program — the Blankets of Love program — that collects handcrafted quilts from volunteer quilters and distributes them at no cost to mental health patients hospitalized in Canadian psychiatric wards. The program originated at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, where Ethier herself was treated for major depression and found comfort in a quilt her grandmother had made. It received formal endorsement from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Edmonton Division in 1997, and has subsequently grown to serve hospitals across Canada.

The foundation offers four documented offerings: (1) the Blankets of Love Program as the core service; (2) 'Count It All Joy,' a biographical book authored by founder Sheila Ethier; (3) a Quilt Donation Service specifying accepted formats (lap size 45" x 60" to twin size 60" x 90", using 100% cotton, flannel, fleece, minky, or crochet construction); and (4) a Financial Donation Program funding the purchase of quilt backing and batting materials. There is no proprietary technology component — the offering is fundamentally analog, depending on volunteer craftsmanship, donated fabric, and direct physical delivery to hospital recipients.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving, including individual donations processed via the CanadaHelps online platform, e-transfer, cheque, and direct contact, supplemented by corporate sponsorships from UFA (United Farmers of Alberta), Blue Cross — Hearts of Blue, and London Drugs. The foundation is led solely by founder/CEO Sheila Ethier with no paid staff, and is incorporated as a registered Canadian charity (registration 84638 1549 RR0001). Operational scale reached over 800 blankets delivered in 2023, with thousands distributed cumulatively across Canadian hospitals since 1996.

Name

Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health

Legal name

Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health

Website

https://blanketsoflove.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health is a Canadian registered charity that collects handmade quilts from volunteer quilters and donates them to mental health patients in hospitals across Canada. Founded in 1996 in Edmonton by Sheila Ethier, RN, it operates through volunteer support and charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Charitable Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGACAG

Disability Services & Independent Living Support

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

SECONDARYHSABAFAO

Volunteer & Companion Support Services (Hospice Volunteer Programs)

Home & Personal Services/Elder Care & In-Home Care Services/Hospice & Palliative In-Home Care

Keywords

• Mental health charity
• Charitable quilt donations
• Hospital comfort programs
• Volunteer nonprofit services
• Patient support programs

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and quilting guilds. Donations can be made via CanadaHelps, e-transfer, cheque, or direct contact. The organization also accepts in-kind donations of quilts and quilted blankets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health runs the Blankets of Love Program, a charitable initiative that collects handcrafted quilts sewn by volunteers and distributes them at no cost to patients hospitalized with mental health challenges across Canada. The foundation supplements quilt distribution with financial donations that fund backing and batting materials, and offers the founder's biographical book "Count It All Joy."

Product overview

Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health operates as a single-purpose charitable organization offering the Blankets of Love Program as its core offering. The program collects handcrafted quilts from volunteers and distributes them to mental health patients in hospitals across Canada. Supporting offerings include the Count It All Joy book (a biographical publication by founder Sheila Ethier), a quilt donation service accepting various sizes and fabrics, and a financial donation program to fund quilt materials. The organization was founded in 1996 and is now offered to hospitals across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blankets of Love Program A charitable program that collects handcrafted quilts made by volunteers and delivers them to patients hospitalized with mental health challenges across Canada, providing comfort through compassion and kindness.
• Count It All Joy (Book) A biographical book written by founder Sheila Ethier documenting her personal journey with major depression and her experience as a single mother caring for a son diagnosed with leukemia, sharing stories of hope and resilience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 blankets delivered to mental health patients in 2023 alone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• London DrugsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLondon Drugs is listed as a sponsor, though specific partnership details are not provided.
• CanadaHelpscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadaHelps provides online donation processing services allowing donors to make financial contributions to Blankets of Love through their platform.
• Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Blankets of Love project was officially promoted and endorsed by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Edmonton Division, in 1997 as the program was getting started.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kids Help Phone: Canada-wide charity providing mental-health support to young people via phone and text. Comparable as a national Canadian mental-health nonprofit dependent on donations and volunteers, though focused on crisis response rather than in-hospital comfort items.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): National Canadian voluntary health organization focused on mental health advocacy, education, and support. CMHA's Edmonton Division formally endorsed Blankets of Love in 1997, making it a closely aligned incumbent working in the same mental-health charitable space across Canada.
• Bell Let's Talk: Major Canadian mental-health initiative funding access, care, and research nationwide. Operates in the same charitable mental-health ecosystem with large corporate backing, analogous to how Blankets of Love channels sponsor funds toward patient-facing mental-health support.

Regional players

• Wrap Them in Love: US-based volunteer organization that collects handmade blankets and distributes them to critically ill children and adults in hospitals. Direct analog in mission and volunteer-craft model, but operates in the United States rather than Canada.

Emerging players

• Branching Out Forest Therapy (BLOOM): Small Canadian nonprofit delivering comfort-based programs to mental-health patients. Comparable as an emerging charitable player providing non-clinical comfort interventions to the same inpatient mental-health population in Canada.

Direct peers

• Hope for Mental Health Foundation: Canadian registered charity supporting mental-health programs and patient comfort initiatives through community fundraising. Highly comparable as a small-scale, donation-funded charity delivering tangible comfort and program support to mental-health patients.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation: Foundation arm of Canada's largest mental-health teaching hospital, raising donations to fund patient comfort, programs, and research. Closest direct peer: a hospital-affiliated mental-health charity using donated funds to improve inpatient experience, mirroring Blankets of Love's hospital distribution model.
• Project Linus Canada: Volunteer-driven Canadian charity that collects handmade blankets from volunteer quilters and knitters and donates them to children in hospitals, shelters, and social-service settings. Near-exact operating model to Blankets of Love: volunteer-crafted textiles distributed to vulnerable patients via hospital partnerships.
• Mood Disorders Society of Canada: National voluntary health organization addressing mood disorders including depression, with the founder of Blankets of Love having personal experience with major depression. Both serve the same Canadian patient population through donations and community outreach.

Others

• Doig River First Nation Healing Foundation: Canadian Indigenous-led health and healing foundation providing culturally-rooted support services to community members facing mental-health challenges. Comparable as another small Canadian charitable foundation working on mental-health patient well-being through community-led programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Blanketsoflove
• Facebookfacebook.com/blanketsoflovefoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health