PHOENIX — A Monday morning routine is making an incredible difference in the lives of many families across the Valley.
"I'm finally at a point in my life where I can give more than I take," said Mike Baleda.
Every week a group of retirees with the Arizona chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace load up their vehicles with support beams, headboards, mattresses, and pillows destined for children who desperately need them.
“We see the people we deliver the bed to, the kids who are no longer gonna be on the floor, it’s the best part of it all,” said Dan Welch.
Kids waited anxiously at the door when the crew arrived Monday. “My two brothers are gonna have the bunk and I’m gonna have my own bed,” said a young boy receiving his very first bed.
“When they found out that Sleep in Heavenly Peace was giving beds, I swear I shouldn’t have told them until the day before because every day it’s been like mom are our bunk beds coming, are our beds coming and I’m like no not until Monday,” said Single mom Antonette Cuellar.
The mother of three boys, like so many right now, is just trying to get by while trying to give her children all she can. Calling the generosity in this delivery life changing.
“Right now, with these times, it’s just really hard for me so I wouldn’t have been able to get my boys beds, they’ve been sleeping on air mattresses for a long time,” said Cuellar.
Before they arrive at homes like hers, every month, community volunteers come together to construct the beds in prefabricated pieces. A process that’s gotten more popular and churning out more beds than ever before.
“Our first build we did twelve beds, that was about three and a half years ago, and now we routinely do 65 to 85,” said Baleda.
Those beds are eventually assembled onsite during drop-off days.
“It’s just so rewarding because we get to meet the families in their homes,” said Sleep in Heavenly Peace Arizona Chapter President Joe Genovese.
Genovese says in just three short years, they’ve given away over 2,000 beds.
“No kid should sleep on the floor in our town when we can do something about it, period, end of discussion,” said Genovese.
And thanks to this organization, the children across the Valley won't have to.