Week 29 of #52weeksofgiving - Sleep in Heavenly Peace - Rochester, NH
For week 29 of #52weeksofgiving, LeMay Family Goodworks is excited to sponsor a build of 10 single twin beds for kids in need in collaboration with Sleep in Heavenly Peace out of Rochester, NH! These free beds will go to families in our community, some with children who have been sleeping on couches, blankets, or even floors. For some, this may be their first bed.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a nationwide organization dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering high-quality free bunk beds to underprivileged children. They continue opening more chapters in different states to serve more people. Currently, two New Hampshire chapters are located in Rochester and Hillsborough County.
Read on to learn more about this unique nonprofit and their efforts to bring a better night’s sleep to needy kids.
About Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Sleep in Heavenly Peace believes “that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs.” A group of volunteers decided to take action when they realized that child bedlessness is a national issue. In fact, the organization’s data shows that roughly 2-3% of American children are without beds.
Sleeping on unsuitable surfaces and makeshift beds can affect a child’s happiness and health. Many studies show the negative effects of lack of sleep on kids, from hyperactivity issues to anxiety and depression.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace began in founder Luke Mickelson’s garage with the build of one bed for a single family. When he had leftover wood, he turned to Facebook to find another family who could use a bed — but instead of an influx of needy families with requests, Luke heard from people eager to help. Volunteers came together to determine how many free beds they could provide local families.
The answer: Bunk beds built from scratch, made to last a lifetime. Each bed comes with a new mattress, pillows, and bedding upon delivery.
Today, Sleep in Heavenly Peace has over 270 chapters across the United States and has even expanded into Canada on their mission to end child bedlessness and ensure that no kid sleeps on the floor in our town.® It is the leading organization in America providing new beds to children in need.
How You Can Help Provide Free Beds to Kids in Need
Sleep in Heavenly Peace has provided kids with one of their most basic needs, a bed, thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers. If you’d like to get involved, there are many ways you can help supply free beds to struggling families.
Donate
Help provide children with a comfortable, safe sleeping arrangement with a donation.
Make a financial donation: Donate to your local chapter to help with bed materials, assembly, delivery, and organizational growth. You can also join the Bunkhead Club to make monthly recurring donations (when you give $20 or more each month for a year, you cover the total cost of a new bed!).
Donate supplies: Help your local chapter by donating bedding, pillows, wood, construction materials, and tools. This helps offset the operating costs and allows them to build more beds.
Purchase SHP Gear: Shop Sleep in Heavenly Peace merchandise to support their cause and help spread the word. Proceeds fund more free beds for kids sleeping on the floor.
Volunteer
Sleep in Heavenly Peace offers volunteer opportunities for everyone age 12 and older. Participating is perfect for individuals, teams, families, neighborhoods, organizations, businesses, schools, or any group that would like to come together for a good cause. No matter your experience, you can choose to:
Help at a build day: Find a build day on your local chapter’s page, where you can register or reach out to your area’s chapter president to let them know you’re interested. Build days include stations for sawing, sanding, drilling, assembling, staining, and branding the wood.
Bed deliveries: Experience one of the most rewarding moments by helping deliver beds to kids and witnessing the first-hand impact you’ve had on their life.
Bedding drives: Host a bedding drive for your local chapter to collect new pillows, sheets, and comforters accompanying each free bunk bed.
Sponsor a Build Day
Want to make a big difference? Sponsor a build day one of two ways:
Sponsor by Donating: Each bed costs $250 to make, including materials, mattresses, and bedding. You can purchase beds, sheets, or other materials needed for the build day.
Sponsor by Hosting: Your organization can host a build day to bring the whole team together to build beds and provide critical support to your local community. Hosting a build day is an enriching and powerful team-building event.
Programs
Sleep in Heavenly Peace offers additional programs through which you can get involved, including:
Bunks Across America: Join local chapters across the country as they participate in the largest one-day bed-building event!
Move4Beds: Create events in your community or pledge to help those raising funds through moving, such as running, biking, and swimming.
The Disaster Relief Fund: Give to the Disaster Relief Fund to benefit children who have lost their beds and homes in tragedies worldwide.
To keep up with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and ways you can help them end child bedlessness, follow them on Instagram @shpbeds or Facebook. Reach out to the Rochester Chapter or Hillsborough County Chapter if you’re a New Hampshire local and want to get involved.
Is there a nonprofit organization you think we should know about? Contact us today and let us know why they are special to you!