Provide beds for 300 kids sleeping on the floor

Greetings Beds for Kids supporters,

We have exciting news to share: the Beds for Kids project has undertaken a major expansion through the launch of our Westside Warehouse in Tualatin, Oregon. This is our second full service Warehouse, and will serve clients in Washington and Clackamas counties. We’ve been collecting furniture donations at the site since late March, and the first families arrived to receive assistance just last week.

So far this year, Community Warehouse has provided 467 mattresses, pillows and sets of bedding to children. The new Westside Warehouse will allow us to reach even more children in need of safe, comfy restful sleep.  We know that some of the kids who receive beds through the project have previously been sleeping on the floor, and in many cases have come through traumatic experiences. Here is an e-mail that our program manager, Tom, recently received from a case manager with one of our partner agencies, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO):

“Hey Tom,

Just wanted to thank you, Eric, and the rest of your staff for all your help. My client was very grateful for all the furniture they got. Their kids have been sleeping on the floor for months. I especially want to thank Eric for accommodating us as they needed much more than we originally requested….Thanks again!”

 - Lyle Matsuura, Asian Family Center

Through your contributions to the Beds for Kids project, you are helping people like Lyle who are working directly with the families most in need in our community. All the requests that Community Warehouse fills come through referrals by partner agencies. The case managers at these agencies verify that their clients have no other resources for accessing furniture and basic household goods to furnish the apartments they are moving into. In the case of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, families are often coming with little more than the clothes on their backs. By providing beds and more we are freeing up resources at our partner agencies to assist families with rent, utilities, and job training. Together, our combined efforts go further than we could alone in helping these vulnerable people rebuild their lives.

Another essential part of getting beds to kids is the in-kind donations of twin and double mattresses from individuals, businesses and organizations. We recently received a donation of several twin mattresses from an unexpected source: the Portland Fire Department! When they were changing out some of the beds in their dormitories, we’re lucky that they knew to think of Community Warehouse as an option for putting their used mattresses to good use. This makes us wonder whether there are other types of organizations and businesses that we might not have connected with yet. Do you have any ideas? Individuals tend to hang onto their twin beds for a long time, and pass them on to friends and family which is great, but it means that we often end up with a surplus of queen mattresses and a shortage of twins and doubles suitable for kids. We’re always looking for more sources, so if you can think of any suggestions please send them our way.

The network of support that makes the Beds for Kids project possible includes our partners like Lyle and IRCO, organizations like the Portland Fire Department, and of course, YOU! We can’t do it without you.  The next GlobalGiving Bonus Day is coming up on June 13^th, and we hope you will take the opportunity to consider an additional gift to provide beds for kids or pass this report on to a friend. Thank you so much for your support.

Links:

• Community Warehouse