'They are really doing a commendable job': Organization providing beds for kids in need
An organization that provides new beds for children who need them made a delivery Saturday to a family that recently moved to Edmonton.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a nonprofit organization with chapters across Canada and around the world.
It was founded in the U.S in 2012 and the first Canadian chapter was founded in 2019. The group raises funds, builds and delivers beds to families for kids who don't have them.
There are five Canadian SHP chapters, one in Edmonton, Strathcona County, Vernon, Winnipeg and Windsor.
"Kids are not the best versions of themselves when they’re not well rested," said Julie Parr, the marketing and communications director for SHP Canada. "So having a good night’s rest means that kids learn better at school, they’re physically healthier and socially and emotionally they just function better.
"It also improves the sleep of parents. When there’s a family of five sleeping on a queen size mattress nobody’s well rested."
One such family was Vishal Shah's, who moved to Edmonton in November. They, including their six-year-old daughter Kheeana, have been sharing a queen size mattress and appreciate the gift they were given Saturday.
"It will make quite a lot of difference because she will get some of her privacy and she will feel more special," said Shah.
"You don’t find such services in other countries. They are really doing a commendable job."
SHP helps people who are living at or under the poverty line, as well as newcomers to Canada.
"We (also) have a lot, unfortunately, of mostly moms who are fleeing violent situations and starting completely over from scratch," said Parr.
The economic situation in Alberta is also contributing to a rise in demand for SHP's services.
"People are losing their jobs, they’re having to move, sometimes leaving everything behind in order to try to find new work and they have to start over again," added Parr. "They just don’t have the money for food, rent, clothes and beds, so beds will always get left to the end.
"On average in any community two per cent of kids do not have a bed to sleep in."
SHP has seen a surge in demand for beds for children ages 3 to 17 and since July 2022, the Strathcona County chapter has had a waitlist of around 200.
"Since then we’ve got it down to about 130 kids but keep in mind we’re still receiving applications on a private level from referral agencies," said Parr.
According to Parr, the organization has gotten requests from other provinces, including as far away as New Brunswick, which it had to turn down.
"What we’re noticing in Edmonton is our one chapter is servicing a city of over a million people and we can’t do it," she added.
SHP hopes to open two new chapters in Edmonton by the end of 2023, with the goal of increasing volunteer opportunities and getting beds out quicker.
"In the near future I would like to be a part of that and I would like to contribute my part because what they have done, what I see is really a great job and I would like to be a part of that," said Shah.
Across Canada, SHP has delivered over 1,100 beds to families in need of them.
In order to qualify for a bed from SHP, parents need to have custody of their children, an active lease, have limited income and the child must not have a bed at all.
SHP accepts donations of new twin size bedding and monetary donations on its website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.