According to Sleep In Heavenly Peace -DFW East Region (SHP-DFW East Region) Vice-President Jeannie Stone,
“It’s always shocking to me that in a nation with so much wealth that there are children who don’t have many of life’s basic necessities. Working parents – many times single moms – are doing their best; however, budgets can only stretch so far against the rising cost of food and rent. Sometimes something as simple as a bed to sleep on at night is too much to ask for.
“It is estimated that approximately 3% of children do not have a bed of their own. The 2020 US census found that nearly 8 million people live in the DFW area, with 25% of them being children. That calculates out to approximately 60,000 DFW children who need a bed to sleep on – a daunting number. Kids across the DFW area are sleeping on blankets on the floor, on shared mattresses crowded with siblings, or on a couch in the living room. They don’t have a place to relax and prepare their small minds and bodies for the coming day. According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting an adequate amount of sleep has a direct impact on a child’s overall physical and mental development.
“All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads.
“That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) comes in. We are a growing group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering beds to children and families in need. We provide hand-built single and bunk beds, mattresses, pillows, and bedding – many times with designs and colors hand-picked to meet the wishes of each child. Unicorns, superheroes, and race cars are very popular! SHP nationally has delivered over 200,000 beds since 2012, and DFW locally has delivered just over 3,000 of those!
“A new bed means the world to a child. On a recent delivery a small boy jumped on his newly built bed, laid his head on his pillow, and told us, ‘I love it!’ His mom said that it was his first real bed. Many moms shed tears of happiness when they see the joy on their children’s faces. After our Mother’s Day weekend deliveries this year one mom told us, ‘This is the best Mother’s Day gift I could ever receive — a bed for my children.’
“Funding through Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day enables us to build and deliver more beds to help with our mission of ‘No Kids Sleeps on the Floor in our Town’®. We receive thousands of applications for beds each year and are currently only able to satisfy a fraction of those. Each bed we deliver costs approximately $250 in materials and related expenses. That includes lumber, hardware, mattresses, bedding and tools we need to build and deliver beds to children in need. Every extra dollar helps us to buy one more piece of lumber or one more comforter set that goes to a soon-to-be-well-rested child.
“Your caring donations help us to get kids off the floor!”
* Graphic/photos provided by Sleep in Heavenly Peace ** Photo credit: Jeannie Stone *** Photo credit: Mike Baacke
In 15 years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $566 million into the North Texas community. In 2023, more than $63.9 million was raised through 97,000 donors benefiting 3,249 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 19, support SHP-DFW by clicking here and spreading the word. #NorthTexasGivingDay2024