Sleep in Heavenly Peace Org Receives Major Bedding Donation to Support Local Kids

GODFREY/ALTON - Community members have come together to make sure no child in the Riverbend region sleeps on the floor.

As part of their 175th anniversary celebrations, Evangelical United Church of Christ has collected almost $20,000 worth of items and donations for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that builds beds for local kids.

“It’s a perfect example of the community rallying around our mission and helping to get kids off the floor,” said Dave Hardwick, president of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. “We want to get them their own bed so that they get the quality rest they need to thrive in life.”

Hardwick explained that Sleep in Heavenly Peace is an international organization that works to get kids between the ages of 3 and 17 into their own beds. He said that 3% of the child population is bedless, meaning they sleep on the floor, on the couch, or in bed with other family members.

The local Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter has provided beds for 1,232 kids since it was founded in 2019. They cover 20 zip codes in the Riverbend region.

Julie Hinesman, chairperson of the 175th Anniversary Committee at Evangelical, said the Sleep in Heavenly Peace mission resonates with their congregation. They often “do something larger” for milestone anniversaries, and they knew they needed a service project to focus on for the year.

“This one just spoke to us,” Hinesman said of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. “It just seemed like a really cool, worthy project for us to get behind.”

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Working with Hardwick and Bedding Coordinator Julie Tracy, Hinesman and her fellow committee members organized a bedding drive. They aimed to collect 175 items of each type, including pillows, mattress pads, blankets and sheet sets, and they quickly exceeded this goal.

“We want to minister to the community. We want to give back to the community,” Hinesman explained. “When our congregation is asked to do something, they always come through. They are generous, they’re big-hearted, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Additionally, the committee “worked the sales” and purchased more bedding and lumber to donate to Sleep in Heavenly Peace. All of the bedding was blessed, and it will be delivered to Sleep in Heavenly Peace headquarters in Alton on Oct. 8, 2025.

A few of the congregation members joined the organization’s bed builds and delivered beds to local kids. Hardwick noted that this experience is special for the kids and the volunteers alike, and he hopes more people are inspired to donate or join a build in the future.

“Building beds, knowing that a child is going to be the recipient of that, warms your heart,” he said. “But delivering a bed and experiencing that joy, I can’t put that into words. That’s just something you have to experience for yourself.”

You can contact Hardwick directly at 618-377-4020 or at dave.hardwick@slpbeds.org to learn more about these builds, how to donate, or to request a bed for your child. He emphasized the organization is always seeking donations and volunteers, and he voiced his appreciation for Evangelical’s work.

Hinesman added that she can’t wait to deliver the bedding on Oct. 8, and she hopes each item helps a kid in need.

“It just makes your heart swell,” she said. “No kid in our town sleeps on the floor.”

To learn more about the Alton chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, visit their official Facebook page.

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