Bed Brigade, a nonprofit organization in central Ohio, gives hundreds of people the chance to finally have a bed to call their own.
The mattresses Ohio University students once slept and studied on have found new homes.
Earlier in the year, OU donated 164 mattresses that were originally from Cady Hall, Foster House and Brough House to the central Ohio-based charity Bed Brigade, said Christine Sheets, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, in an email.
Bed Brigade, a nonprofit, faith-based organization serving families of low economic standing, has distributed between 700 and 800 mattresses each year for the past two years, Dale Cory of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Bed Brigade, said.
Along with the mattress, the organization donates a bed frame, sheets and pillows, Cory said.
Cory added that many of these beds come from universities and colleges across the state.
Ron VanHorn of the Circleville division of Bed Brigade said he started the organization because his wife worked in social services and saw many children who didn't have a bed to call their own.
"Being without a bed is something people don't want to talk about," he said.
VanHorn said a bed is where a person spends most of their time.
“Your bed is your space,” he said.
VanHorn said he started the organization in Circleville five years ago with the help of five men, adding that the group expanded outside of Circleville to other churches and organizations two years ago.
“We originally worked in five counties in various places across the state of Ohio,” VanHorn said. “But after a few years we realized we were killing ourselves with workload and decided we needed to expand our workforce.”
Cory said he was one of the men added to the efforts during the expansion after hearing about it on the evening news.
“They were asking for more people to get involved in the project so I decided it was a great thing to get involved in," he said. "I have always had a passion for helping people.”
Cory added that some Bed Brigade branches will give their recipients Bibles in addition to the beds.
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Jeff Stenerson, with Bed Brigade's Grove City branch, said the branch receives many mattress donations from Cedarville University, Capital University and Ohio State University, adding that the branch has helped more than 100 families every year.
Cory said he delivered beds Saturday in the Columbus area and gave a set of 11-year-old twin girls their first beds.
“It was the first time the twins had gotten their own beds, and no longer needed to sleep together," he said. "It was really a cool thing to see.”
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