Sleep in Heavenly Peace hosting biggest build to date Aug. 10

DAR/Joe McGraw

Since 2019, Sleep in Heavenly Peace has been a Poplar Buff philanthropic staple.

The local 501(c)3 builds and delivers beds for children without them, with the goal of ensuring no child has to sleep on the floor.

August marks five years for the local nonprofit.

“We have built a little more than 700 beds in five years,” said director Dave Elledge.

On Aug. 10, a four-shift event to construct 125 beds will take place at the Black River Coliseum. It’s the largest event to date for Elledge and his crew and has garnered immense feedback via word-of-mouth and social media. However, it was not Elledge’s brainchild.

“Aug. 10 actually was not our idea,” he said. “It was something that was brought to us by Robbie Myers. He asked if we would be interested in doing something for the 25th anniversary of the Coliseum. So, we started talking.”

Most builds, due to the sawdust, take place outside. When Myers and Elledge began talking, it became clear this was not a traditional outside endeavor.

“They were like, ‘No, we are talking about in the Coliseum.’ And we were like, ‘Are you crazy? Yeah, we’d do that,’” recalled Elledge. “That all kind of lined up. Robbie has been the catalyst, so I give him all of the credit. He has helped coordinate everything. He has been amazing.”

A cap was set at 50 people per shift, with the remaining slots going quickly as of July 25.

“The first three [shifts] are full. When I last checked, we had about five [remaining slots],” said Elledge. “That in itself has been eye-opening. We will kick out 125 beds no problem.”

The nonprofit organization began in Twin Falls, Idaho, and has nearly 350 chapters nationwide.

“The outpouring of support locally, even before this big event coming up, has always been amazing. We are a nonprofit, so everything has to be paid for by donations,” said Elledge. “All of the money that comes in to us, we have literally only paid for about half a dozen pillows. All of the bedding has been donated by the community, so that saves on cost.”

The support from the Poplar Bluff community has not surprised Elledge. He and his wife are responsible for bringing the nonprofit to Southeast Missouri.

“It says a lot,” he said. “I have lived here for 24 years, and it is amazing to see how Poplar Bluff gives back,” he said. “All types of community activities, and ministries, and organizations that need community support — you are just blown away by the community support.”

The organization has been storing the built beds at a local church but is looking for a warehouse.

“I am one of the pastors at the Bluff Church, and ever since we have been going, we have stored the beds at our church,” said Elledge. “We are in the midst of a church remodel, so the space that we are using, in a year or so, is going to be gone and turned into a worship space. We are looking for something. If someone has something out there, we would be interested in talking.”

More information on Sleep in Heavenly Peace Poplar Bluff is available on the group’s Facebook page. For further details, contact dave.elledge@shpbeds.org or call 573-429-0960.