Niki Warms the Cold is a 501c3 and was founded in 2010 in memory of Niki Carlson. Niki's plan was to keep blankets in her car and hand them to people in need. Her idea began to become reality after her unexpected death in March 2010. The seed she planted in her family of wanting to help those less fortunate began to grow. That dream is now a reality and according co-founder Sandi Payne Carlson, the response has been overwhelming. "We’ve been blown away by the support of our church and community, we really believe in our mission but we mostly we believe in helping others." Our first distribution was in Austin, TX, Thanksgiving 2010, over 300 blankets some coats & 66 pairs of gloves. So many people were given the Gift of warmth … not only those receiving but also those giving. There were about ten collection sites, that’s not counting people dropping them off items at the Toad or the house and more than ten distribution dates. Approximately 1500 blankets, 650 coats & hoodies, 450 toboggans, 500 gloves, 300 pairs of socks, some bags, and a pair of pants or two. On May 8th, 2010 what would have been her 33 birthday the first annual “Niki de Mayo Celebration” was held at the family owned H***y Toad Bar in Cranfills Gap. It is important to her family to fulfill her dream so “Niki Warms the Cold’ has begun. We collected 75 blankets and over $1200 in monetary donations on the first celebration. We purchased 141 blankets with the cash. We had 300+ blankets at our first distribution in Austin on Thanksgiving day Several drives and distributions were held throughout the year..Please check out *Blanket & distribution page for information on numbers of items donated. Our second annual Niki de Mayo was held, Saturday, May 14th, 2011 and once again it was a success. Over 200 jackets, 100+ blankets and over $4,500.was raised and blankets, coats, and monetary donations are still coming in. Niki’s motto was “Havin’ Fun is Fun” and she touched many lives ~ our goal is for Niki to continue to touch lives in a positive way. If you are interested in donating or helping with a drive or distribution please check out the "You Can Help" page. Hootie Hoo !!
2011: Donations
Women's Shelter in Austin
Jammin' for Joplin
Bastrop Fires
More 2011 events coming up ... Austin distribution planned for Thanksgiving Day! Please check for updates or out check our website. Thanks to EVERYONE for their donations and thanks to EVERYONE who is working on donations to help us "share the warmth".
