Edna Blanks sands a piece of wood during the build. 

It’s the holiday season, and the time for giving is needed more than ever, according to Laura Hester, a core member of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a community volunteer program that builds beds for local children. 

“Surprisingly, there are a number of children in our community who don’t have a bed,” Hester said. “It’s really important that we give back to our community, whether it’s providing a warm bed, clothes, or food.”

Sleep in Heavenly Peace allows the community to come together to help children in need. No experience is necessary, as the program is designed with everyone in mind, making the experience easy and fun.

Besides making donations to the many nonprofits in the area, Hester said the best way to give back to is to offer one’s time.

“Volunteering your time is really critical. We all need the time from the people of our community to help with the mission of helping those in need, which helps us all thrive and succeed,” she added.

Expanding the core team in Lauderdale County is a goal, Hester said. Whether helping on a build day or a delivery day, SHP has something for everyone. Not only are the events fun, but they are rewarding. All it takes is a few hours of time to help a child in need.

“The help is always needed,” she said. “If someone’s interested in becoming a part of our core team, we would love to have them. There are many ways they can help.”

One organization that found the building program fulfilling was the Catholic Community of Meridian, which selects a project every year to give back.

“When selecting our project this year, we talked about how we take climbing in the bed and going to sleep at night for granted,” said Katie Rutledge, who helped coordinate a build at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Nov. 12. 

“Many of us didn’t realize how many children had to sleep on the floor, so it was really important to us to do this because we feel like we were given these children a better way of life.”

Rutledge said working on the project was heartwarming because of its impact on many families in need.

“Building the beds was fun for us all, but delivering the beds to the children was just an unbelievably great feeling,” Rutledge said. “I can barely even hammer a nail, so to know that I helped build 10 beds that are going to get 10 children off the floor is just amazing.”

“God calls us to serve, so I feel like that’s what we’re doing with the help of Sleep in Heavenly Peace because they certainly are a ministry that serves the community,” she added.

In addition to volunteering, people can also donate new twin size sheets, pillows, and bedding items to the program. 

For more information on volunteering or donating to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, visit https://shpbeds.org/chapter/ms-meridian/.