Eastern Panhandle volunteers help the little ones 'Sleep in Heavenly Peace' this Christmas

By Vanta Coda III, RealWV

Andrea Waddell speaks to a crowd of volunteers standing in a vacant parking lot on a brisk day in Inwood, W.Va. Despite the winter wind and cold temperatures of late December, everyone was in warm spirits and ready to make their donation drop-off runs for children in need of beds this holiday season.

“So we have build days where people can come out and help build the beds in an assembly line process,” said Eastern Panhandle Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter president, Andrea Waddell. “We go from cutting 2×4 and 2×6 lumber, sanding it, putting the headboards together, staining everything, and then we brand the beds. And we do it all with volunteers.”

**Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Eastern Panhandle chapter volunteers load bed pieces into volunteer pickup trucks.**

Sleep in Heavenly Piece was founded in 2012 by Luke Mickelson of Twin Falls, Idaho. After hearing that a young girl in his church community didn’t have a bed, Mickelson made the girl a bed with the help of his friends. The organization now has 325 chapters across the country. The Eastern Panhandle chapter, founded in 2023, is one of five Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapters in W.Va., with the other chapters being in Doddridge Co., Harrison Co., Jackson Co., and Monongalia Co.

The beds distributed are sourced both locally and nationwide, from surplus bed materials from previous build days, as well as beds made in a 24-hour build day in Charlotte, N.C. where 5,000 beds were built.

The beds are made in pieces and are assembled in their entirety inside the home where the child lives. The beds also come with bedding kits which include a fitted sheet, a light sheet, a comforter, and a handmade blanket from the non-profit Project Linus, which donates handmade blankets to children in need.

***The Martinsburg Fire Department finishes assembling a child’s bed, while the child helps pull on the pillow case.***

Due to the Eastern Panhandle chapter not having an indoor facility for workshops or storage capacity, many build days take place in vacant parking lots within the Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Co. areas where the chapter operates.

“Builds are probably going to be held off until the weather breaks, just because we aren’t fortunate enough yet to have a building to call home, so all of our builds are in parking lots right now,” said Waddell. “My heart knows that we’re going to find a home, and then we’ll be able to build all year long.”

***A young girl named Noel smiles after laying down on her new bed for the first time.***

Event volunteers included the Martinsburg Fire Department and families in and around the tri-county area. On December 20, 52 beds were distributed. Waddell states this was the largest delivery in the chapter’s history to date, ensuring more kids in the Panhandle have somewhere to lay their heads this holiday season.