Bend woman carries on blanket drive in honor of her late husband

(Update: Adding video, comments from blanket drive organizer)

'You know, to help your fellow person is important'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend resident Margaret Brown lost her husband of 15 years in August after he spent eight months battling Type 2 diabetes.

Her husband, AJ Brown, was a longtime employee of the Conoco North Bend gas station, which is now a 76 station. He passed away after slipping into a diabetic coma.

Brown said Wednesday her husband was a good and compassionate man who cared for the homeless, a predicament he had been familiar with.

“He’s been there. He knew what it was like to be stuck out in the cold and not have a blanket,” Brown said.

In honor of him, Brown is carrying out a blanket drive throughout Bend until the 5th of November.

She has also been collecting blankets and hand and foot warmers, and is willing to drive to people's home to do it.

She says she and her husband made a commitment in 2019 to donate winter gear to First United Methodist Church in Bend.

“They went out of their way to help us, so my husband always wanted to give back to them,” Brown said.

So far, she’s collected 30 blankets.

“You know, to help your fellow person is important,” Brown said.

Kindness, she says, is meaningful. That’s how she wants him to be remembered.

“You know, even when my husband worked at the gas station and someone came in, and didn’t have enough money for their gas, he paid for it,” Brown said.

She requests community members contribute to the cause.

If you'd like to make a donation, you can reach Margaret through her Facebook page or email her at just4rankin@gmail.com.