Nonprofit gives kids place to rest
Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds beds for children in need
After leaving an abusive relationship, Tiffany Long worth said she lost ever y thing, except her two little girls.
The newly single mother knew starting over was the right decision, but said it was financially draining, and her daughters needed new beds. The beds they had were old and the box spring even broke on one, but money was tight.
“The expense of a new bed is not ideal for me. My husband took ever y thing from me. Every thing I owned; ever y dollar I had,” Long worth said.
She began to look online to see what her options were and that ’s when she found Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that builds and delivers beds and bedding to those in need. The nonprofit began in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho and now has chapters all over the countr y.
A few weeks ago, she received a call from James Welch, president of the New York Mechanicville Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, who told her he would be able to deliver new beds for her girls the weekend after Thanksgiving. In addition to visiting Long worth’s Mechanicville home this past weekend, they also made bed deliveries in Cambridge and Hoosick Falls.
“To find a program that could give something to my kids that I couldn’t was amazing. It ’s an indescribable feeling,” Long worth said.
The charity ’s Mechanicville chapter began in August 2018 and has built 244 beds since, Welch said. The chapter ’s coverage area stretches from the northern part of the Capital Region to the border of Vermont. Welch’s chapter has also made deliveries to cities in the Capital Region including Schenectady and Albany.
Anyone can qualify for a bed no matter their income level, Welch said. It just needs to be for a child between the ages 3 to 17. Volunteers make the beds from scratch and deliver them with new mattresses and linens. It costs about $350 to make a bed, and Welch said the group relies on donations and sponsorships from businesses and individuals to make the work possible.
Long worth even helped Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteers build the beds for her girls, and she said she was so grateful she wants to return the favor, so she plans to help build beds in the future for others. Welch said he has a group of about 25 volunteers on his core team, but he has an email list of about 200 people.
“I wanted to give back,” Long worth said. “They helped my girls, so I wanted to help build the next one.”
Most people hear about the program through word of mouth or find out about it through social workers, Welch said. Many of the deliveries are to singleparent homes that are going through financially dif f icult times.
“A lot of people I’ve gone and delivered to have had great jobs, but hit hard times and had to sell ever y thing,” Welch said.
Nikia Harris, a mother living in Mechanicville, who works two jobs said receiving two free beds for her daughters was a relief.
“It basically lifted a burden off of me being a single mom,” Harris said. “It helped me transition the girls comfortably into our new house.”
She described herself as someone who doesn’t like to ask for help, but Welch and the Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteers made her feel like it was OK.
“He’s ( Welch) doing God’s work, and he’s an asset in our community,” Harris said. “There are a lot of kids that would have to go without if it weren’t for him.”
Those looking to volunteer or have any further questions can contact James Welch at james. welch@shpbeds.org.