The Rotary Club of Pascagoula is seeking volunteers for a Sept. 19 build that will provide 50 beds for children in Jackson County who do not have one.
The club is partnering with Sleep in Heavenly Peace for the project as the nonprofit’s Jackson County chapter works to meet a waiting list of 84 children in need of beds. Organizers hope to bring together about 120 volunteers from Rotary clubs in District 6840 and students from nearby Interact clubs.
“There are children with very real needs in our own backyard doing without,” said Ed Noles, president of the Jackson County Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter. “There are very real ways that we can help them.”
Sleep in Heavenly Peace estimates that 2% to 3% of children in the United States do not have beds, based on figures collected by the organization.
Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to experience attention and behavior problems that can contribute to poor academic performance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jerica Hudson, education and Interact chair for the Rotary Club of Pascagoula, said providing children with beds can give them a more comfortable place to sleep.
“When a child doesn’t have a bed to sleep in, they struggle in school, and they struggle in day-to-day activities because they’re just not sleeping well,” Hudson said. “Just imagine if you had to sleep on the floor every night. It’s not a comfortable place to be, and so we want those kids in a safe environment to be able to sleep well and be their very best.”
The Sept. 19 build is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteer leaders will receive training Sept. 12 to prepare them to oversee stations during the build.
“We’re going to train our volunteer leaders to manage stations,” Noles said. “We build our beds in a very assembly line process, and so there’s staining and cutting and stamping and drilling and assembling stations, as well as our branding station at the end.”
Volunteers will deliver bed frames, mattresses and bedding to families. Everything is provided at no cost.
Children ages 3 to 17 who do not have a bed can apply through Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s website, Noles said. Applications are fulfilled in the order they are received.
The Rotary Club of Pascagoula previously partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace for a build in early 2025, when about 50 volunteers built 20 beds. Hudson said this year’s event will be significantly larger.
People interested in volunteering for future bed builds can find information here.
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