'Bedlessness' In Howard County Alleviated By Generous Volunteers

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — People take for granted the cozy, comfy bed they slip into every day, laying their head down on a soft pillow and snuggling down under the covers as the day's worries fade away. But across the country, countless children do not have a bed. They sleep on a hard floor with only the clothes on their backs for comfort. No pillow. No blanket.

Not having a bed interferes with a child's much needed night of sleep in order to perform well in school. The CDC reports that children and young adults who cannot get a good night's sleep face health problems spanning from obesity to physical injury. Emotional and behavioral issues can occur, too.

In the hope of fighting what's been coined "bedlessness," the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace has teamed up with the Howard County Public School System to assist area students who don't have a proper bed. Through its program, Sleep in Heavenly Peace will provide free twin beds, mattresses and bedding to local youth.

Chuck Scudder, head of the Howard County chapter, told Patch that SHP Howard County is one of six chapters in Maryland. The organization was founded in Idaho in 2012 and is now an international charity with more than 200 chapters spanning the globe.

"My spouse Laurie and I applied for the chapter in the summer of 2018, went to Idaho for training and were officially in business in October of that year. We had our first bed building a year ago and have held six total building days in the last year. We have built almost 200 beds to date and all have been delivered to Howard County families/children ages three to 17," Scudder told Patch.

The partnership with HCPSS will help the organization rescue more children from sleeping on the floor while also garnering more donors to support SHP's mission. Anyone in need of a bed age three to 17 who lives in Howard County qualifies and only needs an adult to contact the chapter.

"There are many children sleeping on floors, sofas, air mattresses, cushions on floors or in bed with parents or other siblings. We are trying to get them all in their own beds," Scudder said.

The beds are built by volunteers, ages 12 and older, with materials purchased from the funds raised by the local chapter. The beds are constructed from lumber purchased or donated by Lowe’s.

"For every build event, we have a group of volunteers that will cut, sand, assemble the parts, stain and brand them. We can usually do about 20 to 30 beds in five to six hours spread over two days. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to find two wonderful benefactors who let us use their properties to build the beds. The first is a wonderful couple in Elkridge/Hanover who let us use their workshop for this effort. Lately, we have been ‘adopted’ by a custom cabinet/furniture shop in Columbia, Rescue Woodworks. They provide space, which is most important, and let us use their resources. We couldn’t do this without them," said Scudder.

Once the beds are built, SHP reaches out to those who have applied for a bed. An average of 50 kids are on the wait list at any given time. Referrals come from school staff members, public agencies and other nonprofits that work closely with those in need of housing and shelter. Volunteers step up again with their time, vehicles and muscles to help deliver the beds.

"We use our funds to purchase new mattresses and all new bedding: sheets, comforters and pillows. Much of our bedding is donated, saving us money for more builds. So the kids get a completely new bed. We assemble the beds in the homes, and if we’re lucky, the kids are home to watch and sometimes even help as their beds come together. The joy in their faces is what makes this all worth it, not to mention the relief and thanks the parents express. For some of the children, it’s their first real bed. It usually takes us less than an hour for a given delivery, depending on the number we are providing to the home," said Scudder.

At first, it was a challenge for the Howard County chapter to raise the seed money to get their goodwill effort off the ground.

"We had to raise funds to buy our complete tool set, find a place to build and then raise funds for the first build – it costs about $175 for a complete bed to come together or $350 per bunk. We deliver beds as singles or bunks depending on the need. This covers our costs and our parent organization in Idaho takes a small percentage to provide us with insurance to cover all volunteers during the builds and deliveries," said Scudder.

Now that more and more children have benefited from SHP, the community has rallied around the Howard County chapter.

"We have had numerous build sponsors – companies, churches and organizations that have provided the money for our builds so far. But we can’t stop the fundraising or our supplies will dry up. So we are always asking the community if they would like to help out, and perhaps turn it into a team-building exercise, to contact us. We have also received many individual donations – folks who just want to help, and enjoy seeing the pictures of the kids enjoying their new, personal warm space, and want to be a part of it. We have many who shop and buy bedding and donate it, and we have had schools do bedding drives for us. There are also three quilting groups providing hand made quilts for the kids which we deliver with the beds when we have them. It truly is a community effort," Scudder told Patch.