Provide beds for 300 kids sleeping on the floor

Beds for Kids Project Update

Since launching our Beds for Kids project on GlobalGiving in late November, 2010 we have raised $775. That's enough to provide beds for 19 children. Thanks to everyone for your support so far!

One of the primary challenges of providing donated mattresses, box springs, sheets, blankets, and pillows to low-income families with children is the supply of these items at Community Warehouse. In 2010, we expanded our in-kind donation collection efforts significantly.

• More Beds Collected - Starting March 2nd, 2010 we added 15 more hours of donation pick-up service each week, with additional routes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The extra hours of pick-up time have allowed us to respond faster to donation offers. The impact on our supply of beds has been significant.
• New Donation Drop-off Site – Community Warehouse opened a new donation drop-off location in the West Slope neighborhood in southwest Portland on August 1st. We have already benefited from an increased supply of mattresses and other needed program items, with an average of 12 beds collected on-site each week thus far.
• More Beds Distributed – Between January 1^st and December 1^st, we distributed 1095 twin and full mattress sets to families with young children.
• Wait List Reduction – In every month except August and September we were able to clear the wait list of families that requested a bed for their children. Comparatively, in 2009 there was a wait list to receive a bed every month of the year. Meeting the high volume of requests in the middle of August through September, as families prepare for back to school, is a priority going forward into 2011.

The Beds for Kids Project Next Steps

With 2010's experience in mind, we are preparing to enter our third year of the Beds for Kids project in 2011. We are going to focus on matching challenge grants and a strong push for private donor funds to match support from foundations, charitable giving organizations, and businesses.

With our new Westside donation site continuing to grow weekly and the additional hours of donation pick-up service, 2011 promises to be the best year to date for the Beds for Kids project. Our goal for 2011 will be to collect and distribute 1,250 beds, clear the wait list each month of the year, and raise $50,000 to support our efforts.

We are looking into options to expand our Westside operations from our current small donation drop-off center to a full warehouse location offering client services, hopefully in the Beaverton area. Do you have any suggestions for us on low-cost spaces or funding that will help us scale up our second Community Warehouse location? We also appreciate any thoughts on how we can get the word out about the need for twin and double beds and bedding for families with children. 

As the Beds for Kids project moves forward and continues to grow in 2011 we would once again like to thank all our GlobalGiving and Nike WE Giving donors for your generous support. You are valued partners in our efforts to provide low-income individuals and families with basic furniture and household items. 

Links:

• Community Warehouse