On Sunday, Dec. 9, local SUBWAY® Restaurants in central Minnesota and western Wisconsin are partnering with Bridging, Inc. to collect and distribute blankets to individuals and families in need.

Blankets collected on Dec. 9 will be distributed to more than 5,200 local families currently served by Bridging every year. Bridging aims to give a blanket away with each of the 10,000 beds they will give away in 2008.

To contribute to the SUBWAY® Bring a Blanket for Bridging program, individuals are asked to bring new or gently used, clean blankets in good condition to any participating SUBWAY® restaurant. In return for their donation, contributors will receive a free regular six-inch SUBWAY® sandwich (one free six-inch sandwich per person, regardless of the number of blankets donated). Especially needed this year are blankets that fit full and queen size beds.

Bridging, Inc. collects and distributes donated furniture and household goods to provide clients with a bed to sleep on, a chair to sit on, and a dish to eat from, and turns their house into a home. Bridging benefits those in-need including refugees, immigrants, victims of domestic abuse, natural disasters and the homeless, who are given a sense of dignity and stability as they rebuild their lives. For more information about Bridging, visit www.bridging.org.

The SUBWAY® Bring a Blanket program was developed in 2002 by local SUBWAY® restaurants to address the need of families to stay warm during the winter in the face of skyrocketing heating bills. In the past five years, the SUBWAY Bring A Blanket program has collected more than 28,500 blankets for area people in need.

Many organizations join SUBWAY® Restaurants and contribute toward the success of the SUBWAY® Bring a Blanket program, including KARE 11 TV, KDWB/101.3 FM, FedEx®, Liberty Carton Company, and Tyco Plastics / Ruffies.