How long have you been building bunk beds for Hope and Home?
Our “Love Your Neighbor” team has been building beds for about two and a half years.
Where did you get the idea?
Our first bunk bed delivery took a long time and did not go very smooth. We bought two sets of bunk beds from WalMart. WalMart furniture is not very easy to assemble. Four of us were all working in a small room and the kids were in there with us because they were excited about their new beds. It took us about three hours to get everything assembled. So, after three hours of frustration in this tiny room, the beds were finally finished. The kids were so happy to get into their new beds – that’s what got us hooked. After seeing the smiles on their faces and the pride they had for their new beds we knew we wanted to keep doing this. But…we knew we could not keep using bunk beds from WalMart. So, we drew up some designs for sturdy, quick-to-assemble, beds and then got to work. We started building them and haven’t stopped.
We brand each slat with three simple sentences – You are seen. You are Known. You are loved.
Are you still building bunk beds during the COVID crisis?
We have a small group of core volunteers that are coming to the workshop and building beds a few hours each week. We are also taking lumber and supplies home to work on them as we have time.
What is your favorite story from delivering a bunk bed to a family?
There are so many great stories, I can’t pick a favorite. Every delivery means so much to all of us. We are so grateful to be a small part of the bigger story God is writing for these kids. We’ve delivered beds to little boys that love sharks, to teens that are being placed with a friend’s family, to siblings that are getting to stay together after being pulled from their homes, to little girls who have never had a bed to call their own, to young men that mention building stuff with their dad when they all used to be together. Every kid we come across is genuinely cared for by us and we pray they all feel seen, known and loved.