How to help provide beds and bedding to Miami Valley children in need

Jan. 30—Two Miami Valley nonprofit organizations are collaborating to make sleepy time cozy and safe for needy children.

"I'm reaching out to you because we are kicking off a great project at the Dayton Sewing Collaborative that could benefit from contributions from your readership," writes Brenda Rex, director of the Dayton Sewing Collaborative. Her organization's mission is to train and develop skilled sewists, reclaim and redistribute sewing items, and create sewn products to benefit our community.

Its motto is "One Stitch at a Time."

Through the Dayton "Train to Sew" program, the DSC has provided workforce development training in industrial sewing to more than 340 participants. The training program is free and helps students develop skills in industrial sewing so that they can gain employment with local manufacturers.

Creating collaboration

Rex was recently contacted by the Montgomery County chapter of "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" about a possible partnership. "Once we learned about that organization and all the good they are doing in our community, we knew we needed to get involved," she said.

"Sleep in Heavenly Peace" works to ensure "No Kid Sleeps On The Floor In Our Town." That's accomplished by building, assembling and delivering beds to those in need.

According to SHP co-president Jeff Mogg and the organization's newsletter, children who receive a good night sleep perform better cognitively, emotionally, and socially. The beds give children a chance to get a good night's sleep and a chance to thrive instead of just survive. In addition to the bed, a mattress, pillow, and bedding are also provided.

The Montgomery County chapter, which started in the past year, has already given 530 beds to children in need in our community. There are pending requests for almost 1,000 beds.

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Priority is given to bed applications where a child's stability is in jeopardy. The group has just adopted a new type of emergency case that involves a mother and her children who have just escaped a domestic violence situation with only the clothes they are wearing. The beds are provided in partnership with a local church. These deliveries can eliminate the risk of a mother losing custody of her children if she cannot provide beds for them in a timely manner.

"Our goal is to make and donate 300 comforters/quilts and pillowcases," Rex said. "The cost of each comforter/quilt made by the volunteers at DSC is approximately $25 dollars."

Here's what they need: — Gift cards from Amazon, Walmart or Joann Fabric. — Donations of quilting cotton in kid and teen-friendly prints (at least three yards of each) — Wide cotton batting (110″ wide) in light colored and bright solids (at least three yards of each) — Quilt tops (54″x80″) — "If you have quilt tops tucked away and would like to donate them, we'll use them," Rex said. — If you would like to make and donate quilt tops, you're asked to make them 54″ x 80″.

Your donations can be delivered inside the Goodwill Easterseals Building, 660 S. Main St., Dayton. (45402). Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Please clearly mark that the items are for the Dayton Sewing Collaborative. The DSC can also be reached at (937) 476-1455 to arrange pick-up or arrange a specific donation time.

Other ways to help — "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" hosts bed building events and can use volunteers to help build, deliver and set-up beds. Contact: https://shpbeds.org/chapter/oh-montgomery-co/ — If you're interested in helping make the comforter/quilts or participate in finishing quilts, contact RuthAnn.DaytonSewing@gmail.com. — Financial donations to the Dayton Sewing Collaborative via its website (DaytonSewing.com) will be used to purchase fabric and batting. Please indicate your money should be targeted to the "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" project. — If you would like to sponsor a complete bed, the cost is $250 for a single bed or $500 for a set of bunk beds for two kids. This includes the bed, mattress, mattress pad, pillow, sheets and pillowcases and comforter. You can donate directly to Sleep at Heavenly Peace at shpbeds.org/chapter/oh-montgomery-co.

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Make a difference

Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com. Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group's mission.