CANON CITY — One silver lining to what's been a challenging year is the generosity and support from others, including a woman from Canon City. She made and donated more than a dozen blankets to the Canon City Police Department.
Dakota Rogers has been crocheting blankets, also known as afghans, for as long as she can remember. It's a hobby of hers that she enjoys year round, but when it gets cold, she donates to those in need.
Her hope this year, is that officers will give the blankets to anyone they meet while on the job, who may need a blanket to stay warm.
"This is hard times for a lot of families, very difficult to keep a roof over their head, and food on their table. I don't know how they're paying their bills. Surely they need to stay warm," said Rogers.
The blankets are bright and colorful, "because you want happy things with these, they're hugs," she added.
For years, she has made the blankets as a way to relax and calm down. When her daughter was in the hospital last year, she made 17 afghans, and gave many of them to a father of eight children.
"He was working himself to the bone, was going to have nothing for Christmas," said Rogers. "I said to him, 'come take afghans for your kids.'"
The year before that, she donated afghans to a local emergency food pantry.
"I learned you give, and you give from your heart," said Rogers. "It's the right thing to do, to help others when they're in trouble."
Rogers got a special shout-out from the Chief of Police at the Canon City Police Department.
