Sleeping bags are what the shelters request in my area. They're much warmer than a quilt, and more practical.
In the past, my quilt group has donated quilts to a program for terminally ill patients at a local hospital, and a new veteran's shelter that opened up recently. They had beds but no bedding. We donated a large number quilts to them; they had a fundraiser and auctioned a few off and were able to purchase sheets and pillowcases to go with our quilts. Win/win.