Volunteers: Make sure no kid sleeps on the floor
The Hill Country chapter of the nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace is participating in the nationwide Bunks Across America bed-building event on Sept. 14 and needs volunteers.
The charity build begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at The Warehouse, 800 Industrial Blvd. in Marble Falls. Volunteers will build and deliver beds free of charge to children in need ages 3-17 across Burnet, Blanco, and Llano counties.
According to a Sleep in Heavenly Peace media release, 2-3 percent of children in the tri-county area have no real bed to sleep in. The organization wants to drop that number to zero to realize its mission statement: No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.
“I had a wonderful childhood and parents who could afford everything, and I see the poverty here (in the Hill Country) and the kids who have no control over their lives,” said Sleep in Heavenly Peace Hill Country chapter President Jeff Matera in an interview with DailyTrib.com. “Seeing them without a bed to sleep in just touches my heart.”
Sleep in Heavenly Peace will provide all necessary equipment for the volunteer build day; good samaritans just need to show up.
The Bunks Across America initiative is expected to unite dozens of Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters with the goal of building 8,000 beds. This will be the first time the Hill Country chapter participates in the annual event.
Volunteers may register online. Contact Matera at jeff.matera@shpbeds.org with questions and follow the local chapter on Facebook to keep up with events and opportunities.
The Hill Country chapter has been particularly active, hosting several bed-building events a year and partnering with Burnet County for the first-ever Donald Fawcett Day of Service in March.