WYOMING, Mich. — We all know how important it is to get a good night’s rest. But sometimes children are forced to sleep on the floor or couch, and they don’t have that luxury.
That’s why several volunteers spent their morning making sure kids had a comfy place to sleep.
From screwing to sanding, volunteers formed an assembly line to help kids in need.
“So we start out with our wood, raw wood,” said Craig Van Hill, who walked us through the process.
After the wood is cut to size, it’s stacked up for sanding, making sure everything is smooth for the kids so they don’t get splinters.
Then it’s stacked up again for volunteers to drill holes.
“One line is drilling all of the holes that we need,” said Van Hill, “another line is making the side rails for the slats and the mattress to be set on.”
From there it’s time to assemble the headboards and footboards, then it heads to the staining stations.
The stain is even safe for the kids since it’s a combination of vinegar and steel wool.
Van Hill is the president of the Kellogsville chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
The organization provides beds to kids who normally sleep on the floor or just don’t have their own.
“We bring them into the houses, set them up, we provide them with mattresses, with all the bedding that they need. We’re blessed to have some groups sewing some quilts for us and providing some stuffed animals and different things for these kids,” said Van Hill.
The team put the twin beds together in Wyoming as part of the Bunks Across America initiative.
150 chapters hosted a similar event all over the country hoping to put together 4,000 beds just on Saturday.
The smile on the kids’ faces make it all worth it.
“We had one instance where I went along and delivered a bed, and the mom said, ‘I’ve never been able to give my kid a new thing in my life, and this is the first new thing he ever had.’ He was 13 years old. He was just ecstatic to have a bed,” said Van Hill.
That joy is what brought out all the volunteers.
“I’m just here to lend a hand; you see me with a drill here,” said Kimberly Coleman.
She normally brings out the whole family, but they had other obligations.
She worked on the headboards and footboards, telling FOX 17 that giving back is such a blessing.
“Just knowing that I can go home leaving here, knowing I may not know the family... I may not get to meet the family, but knowing that I had a part in that, that’s important to me,” said Coleman.
It’s also important to those working with the chapters like Deb Grasman. She helps get all the bedding together to give kids a brand-new experience.
“I hope they get a good night’s sleep so that when they go to school the next day, they can focus and be engaged in their studies at school, because I know that if basic needs aren’t met, that it’s really hard to learn,” she said.
After the screwing, sanding and staining, it was time to leave their mark with a hot iron branding, letting the kids know that S-H-P cared enough for them even if they were complete strangers.
“These people care enough to come out on a Saturday and do this for a kid that they don’t even know and [will] probably never meet,” said Van Hill. “Just to see the love that’s shared through this means more than anything.”
The goal was to build 10 beds on Saturday then another 10 fairly soon.
From there, they’ll deliver them to homes.
If you’d like to sign up and apply for a bed, justclick here.
