Lehi chapter of national nonprofit to build beds for children without their own to sleep in
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- Volunteers build beds for the Lehi chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace during the 2023 Bunks Across America event.
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- Bedding donations are set out for delivery by the Lehi chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace during the 2023 Bunks Across America event.
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- Volunteers build beds for the Lehi chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace during the 2023 Bunks Across America event.
Across the country, many kids go to sleep at night without a bed for a proper night’s rest. According to data compiled by Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit, around 2%-3% of children in the United States are without a bed.
Bedless children may sleep on a floor or a living room couch, or share a bed with other siblings or their parents. The organization says this can lead to long-term impacts including poor performance in school, physical and mental challenges or a weaker immune system, among other consequences.
That’s why Sleep in Heavenly Peace works to provide a good night’s sleep to children in communities throughout the country, including Utah County, where the Lehi chapter is gearing up to build over a dozen beds in about three hours.
The event is in unison with chapters across the country participating in the sixth annual Bunks Across America, a day of volunteering happening Saturday.
The Lehi chapter’s efforts will take place in the Lowe’s parking lot located just off 1200 East and State Street, next to Costco.
“We will get everything set up, we have all the tools and materials and everything that we need. And then we’ll have volunteers come from 9 a.m. to noon,” said chapter president Amy Andrew. “We have a couple of shifts, and they will be doing all the work to build beds for 20 kids.”
Constructing a bed from start to finish isn’t cheap. Monetary donations are being used to purchase a portion of the needed materials, and a local manufacturer is donating lumber that volunteers will use for the build.
Nationwide, the goal is to put together or deliver 8,000 beds in the single-day event.
The Lehi chapter delivers beds to children ages 3-17 across Utah County and a portion of Salt Lake County.
And when Sleep in Heavenly Peace delivers the bed, they aim to make sure a child has all of the needed essentials to get with it. Right now, donations are being sought for bedding materials.
“When we deliver a bed, we deliver the frame, mattress, sheet, pillow, blanket — everything the kid needs to be able to sleep in that bed when we leave,” Andrew said.
During its seven years in operation, the chapter has delivered almost 1,700 beds. Andrew said the need is ongoing as they currently have 98 beds requested.
“Our wait list can take maybe up to six weeks to get a bed,” she told the Daily Herald. “We try to not have it be that long, but it can.”
While the nonprofit’s local branch is constantly building and delivering beds to children in need, Andrew said there is something remarkable about the community effort during the Bunks Across America day of service. “You can come and see all this raw lumber that will just be stacked up at the beginning. You can get your hands on it, people sand it, they do the drilling, attach all the pieces, and then those beds physically get taken to a family in our community,” she explained.
While Utah County has a number of resources for families and children who may lack specific everyday necessities, Andrew said a bed should be considered just as essential. “It’s an underserved thing for people, and it just lifts kids and their families, (with) just a little bit of comfort and a little bit of assurance that the people right here in their community care about them,” she stated.
Andrew added that, in some cases, they are delivering the child or teenager’s first bed. “And just the look on their faces, it is like Christmas,” she noted.
Volunteers are still needed for Saturday’s build in Lehi. Andrew says those interested can sign up online or just show up in person. Families and children are all welcome, with no experience needed. “We love to help and anybody can help us do it,” she said.
