By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — The total number of beds built by the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace has topped 100 after Saturday’s event at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
The local chapter has organized several private events relying on companies and entities, but Saturday’s was the first “public” community build.
About 30 volunteers turned out and helped construct pieces that will be delivered and assembled for local families in need of new beds.
The event on Saturday morning was held in the show barn at Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
Becky Kiphart, chapter president, said she appreciated the fair board providing use of the show barn free of charge.
Saturday’s event was the first such event done under a roof, which is a nice backup in case of inclement weather.
“It was absolutely perfect to be inside. We didn’t have to worry about the weather,” Kiphart said. “It was great.”
One of the more challenging aspects of the entire program is delivering the beds, which is a time-consuming effort that takes lots of coordination, she said.
“What takes the most time is deliveries. We’re at about 25 beds delivered right now and we’ll just keep at it,” Kiphart said.
“We try to deliver eight to ten a week,” she said.
Officials believe more than 1,000 families could benefit from a new bed for household members.
Sleep in Heavenly peace has other build projects lined up in coming weeks and will host another public build later this summer. You can learn more about local efforts by googling Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Kosciusko County.
Dan King, got involved after learning about the new local chapter from Mike Webb, a longtime friend who is the chapter vice president.
He recently retired as the postmaster at Winona Lake and was looking for something to keep him busy.
“This is perfect. This is just what I’ve been hoping to do is something like this,” King said. “It is not a ministry per se, but it is … I treat it as a ministry and I just love doing it.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” King said. “Just use construction lumber to make beds for children who need them.”
More public and private build events are scheduled this summer. To get involved, click here.
To learn more, go to the local chapter website here.
