Local needy families are being given another option to help make sure their children get proper sleep.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a new project to Butler County, which is focused on making sure kids have a bed to sleep in at night. The project was originally started in Idaho in 2012, but Dave Elledge, executive co-pastor at The Bluff Church, opened a chapter this fall.
“SHP is all about building beds for kids who don’t have beds,” Elledge said. “Kids that are sleeping on the floor, kids that are sleeping on a pile of clothes in the corner, sleeping on the couch, sleeping three or four to a bed that’s meant for one.”
So far, over 50 beds have been made and are in the process of being delivered to families with more on the waiting list to receive one.
The beds are made locally by volunteers who come together to cut, build, stain and brand the beds. Then mattresses and bedding are donated or bought using donations. When the bed gets delivered to the family, volunteers make sure it’s put together and ready to be slept in.
“When we walk out the door, that kid has a bed, sheets, pillow, pillow case, blanket, comforter, all that,” Elledge said.
On Saturday, local volunteers of all ages came together for the organization’s second build when 30 beds were constructed outside of the Poplar Bluff R-I central office.
“This is one we really believe in as a school district,” Dr. Scott Dill, R-I superintendent, said. “You know how I feel about taking care of our kids even when they’re not at school. Whether it’s meals, whether its beds. If we can help in any way prepare our kids to be better rested, better fed, it turns into better educated.”
Elledge went to a Bright Futures conference in the fall and he went to a break out session about the project.
“For me personally, it was one of those things that I went into and knew immediately it was something we needed to bring back to Poplar Bluff and Southeast Missouri,” he said.
In spring, he and others locally started looking into what was needed to start a chapter here. He took a trip to Idaho for training and came back excited about getting a chapter started.
Over the summer, they worked on gathering resources for the project including Bright Futures funding for tools and Lowes in Sikeston, which is a national sponsor for the project.
The first build was in September. They built 22 beds, which have already been delivered to families. Elledge said they mostly went to families in Poplar Bluff, a few in Doniphan and one went to Piedmont.
The twin sized beds are designed to be either single beds or bunk beds, depending on family needs.
Elledge said the response from the community has been positive with local churches, Salvation Army, UCAN and other organizations making bedding donations.
In November, the group will do a build in Sikeston at Lowes and conversations are being held between Elledge and one of the local banks to have another build with the bank sponsoring those beds.
The builds are done in an assembly-line style. Elledge admitted he’s not a builder, but the process that’s set up allows him to still help.
Volunteers start by cutting pieces of wood to size before the wood gets sanded, holes are drilled, the pieces are then assembled. Once put together, the headboard, footboard and sides get dunked in a vinegar solution that gives them a slight stain. The headboards and footboards are also branded with the SHP logo.
Elledge said the project has been very rewarding and eye opening so far.
“For me personally, I didn’t realize how big the need was,” Elledge said. “We’re excited about the future and continuing to have an opportunity to get kids off the floor and into a bed. We all know that when they have a good night sleep, what happens at school the next day is a whole lot better.”
Those interested in donating to the program or requesting a bed can go to shpbeds.org/chapter/mo-poplar-bluff.