In 2013, many of the agencies participating in the Furniture for Families program asked if we could provide beds for the children of the clients being referred. We were always able to provide a bed for the client but not for their children. We did not want to give the children used beds. We located a local manufacturer, Albion Bedframes, that could provide us with a bed and mattress at a reasonable cost.
With the help of some foundations, individual donors, and corporate sponsors we were able to begin the Beds for Kids program in July 2013. One corporate sponsor, Minute Men Staffing, offered to underwrite a fundraising event, Inside the Park Home Run, for the program. We just held our 11th event, all but one at Progressive Field, that has provided over half of the 11,000 + beds we have given to children in Northeast Ohio in 11 years. The program continues to be blessed with the support of many individual donors over the years.