Baby Confort,Printed Mat,Ispahan Rug-CLACKAMAS COUNTY NEWS

        CANBY -- Making tie fleece blankets for homeless students is now a holiday tradition for Canby Baby Confort resident Dawn Depner, her family and friends.

        The tradition began last year, when Depner, her daughter, Mary Depner, and friend Gail Printed Mat Gamble started Operation Snuggle.

        On a chilly Saturday morning in December last year, volunteers gathered at Ackerman Ispahan Rug Middle School and made 300 blankets in less than three hours.

        "It was hard to believe that it went that fast," Dawn Depner said. "I really had a sense that a lot of people would have made blankets all day long! After doing Operation Snuggle last year, it just seemed like this would be a great tradition. I think it's something that families and communities can do every year."

        Since the first Operation Snuggle, Depner has had many families ask whether their kids could participate in the next Operation Snuggle.

        "They want to teach their children the gift of giving," she said. This year, Depner and her committee members are planning to make 600 blankets -- 100 to give to students in the North Marion School District, 200 to students in the Oregon City School District and 300 to students in the Canby School District.