This is an opinion column

After a long day at school, sports practice, and then homework, most children love cuddling up in their own bed at night. That is, if they have one.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, also known as SHP, wants to make sure they do. This nonprofit started in Idaho in 2018, when some volunteers built a bed for a mother in their community who was leaving an abusive marriage with nothing, not even a bed for her child. They had lumber left over after building a bed for him, so they kept on building beds for children in need. Their organization even spread to Canada, and a movement was started.

And there’s a chapter of SHP here in the Tennessee Valley. They delivered the first beds in the fall of 2022 and they didn’t stop. So far, 2,212 beds have been built and delivered, with 80 families on the waiting list. Their motto is: “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

The president of the local chapter, which covers Huntsville, Madison, and Madison County, is Mary Ena Heath. She heads up an executive team of 15 plus 40 core volunteers. They always welcome more. They build the beds, which can be used as bunks or single beds, in a donated warehouse near the UAH campus in Huntsville.

The volunteers are well trained to do whatever the need is for that day’s project.

“Some sand, some drill, some stain, and some just sort bolts and washers,”Heath says. “There are stations set up around the work space, and everyone can learn to do some part of the bed building. There’s something for every skill level.”

There are also shelves that store bedding—pillows, sheets, and coverlets that go with the bed when it’s delivered. Some come all together and are called “Bed in a bag”

Outside of the warehouse, a UAH fraternity keeps a fire going and brands each bed with the logo: SHP. “That reminds the children that this bed was handmade by people who wanted them to have something of their own,” says one volunteer.

So why don’t children have beds that belong to them? Heath explains that family disruption may mean that a grandmother has to house three grandchildren with no notice. Or the landlord sold an apartment building and families had nowhere to go. Maybe the family was evicted after a job loss and are crowding in with a relative. Children sleep on couches, with parents, in overstuffed chairs, and on the floor. Once the family has a place of its own, there may not be money in the already tight budget for an extra bed.

“There are all kinds of reasons,” Heath says. “We aren’t there to judge, just to provide a child with his own bed. Good sleep in your own bed means better school performance and a sense of pride.”

Local businesses and civic organizations donate money and supplies and volunteers come from churches, sports teams, and people who hear about the program and want to get involved.

Sadly, one of the most involved volunteers, John Cline, passed away last month while on vacation. SHP plans to honor him with a special bed build in the fall. I had the privilege of going with John on a bed delivery. He put the bed together firmly and explained what he was doing while a child looked on and handed him the tools he needed.

SHP’s goal is 2500 beds delivered by the end of 2025. Heath is sure they’ll make it.

To apply for a bed, go to SHPbeds.org/apply. To donate, go to SHPbeds.org/donate.To volunteer, go to SHPbeds.org/volunteer.

To mail donations or bedding, send to : SHP, 300 Pelham Avenue, A4, Box 272, Huntsville, AL,35801

Contact Beth Thames at bethmthames.com