SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE

The floor is no place for a child to sleep and one local group is making sure no child has to.

The Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) Mechanicville chapter is working hard to ensure every child in the local area has a place to sleep. The national non-profit, which opened a Mechanicville-based chapter in 2018, builds and delivers bunk beds to children in need.

“Some have just a bed on the floor,” said Beth Heffern, coordinator for the SHP Mechanicville chapter. In 2019, Sleep in Heavenly Peace built 244 beds and delivered 206 within a 17-mile radius of Mechanicville, which reaches Rensselaer, Schenectady and Albany counties.

On Aug. 1, the local chapter held a bed-build day at All Saints on the Hudson Parish in Mechanicville. Heffern said this was their second build since February when COVID-19 forced them to postpone any further events.

With no way to fill requests during the pandemic, SHP’s website shut down: “We have 200 kids waiting for beds,” Heffern said. But now, with restrictions lifted and safety protocols in place, volunteers were eager to get back to work.

“It’s fantastic,” said Dana Pitaniello, parishioner. “They’re a great program. I’m glad we were able to connect with them.”

Volunteers from the parish were trained and supervised by SHP staff on the art of building the beds. An assembly line of stations lined the parish parking lot, starting with wood cutting and sanding, and ending with drilling, assembly and the branding of each bed with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace logo.

Father Patrick Rice, pastor, said “three generations” of parishioners came out for the day, with grandparents, parents and children each helping across the many stations.
“There are a lot of people here who have never done woodworking at all,” Heffern added. “Anybody can do it.”

Pitaniello said that the parish has been sponsoring charity events for years as part of a parent-parishioner group. A few years ago, a group of moms wanted to see their kids get more involved in the church. The women started hosting programs or charity events — such as the building day — to offer their kids and children in the parish a chance to give back.

“It shows them that it’s not just church, it’s a part of their life,” Pitaniello said.

All Saints originally planned to sponsor the building day back in April but had to cancel due to the virus. Parishioners, however, were able to still successfully fundraise before the shutdown. “We did a blanket sale, a jump night at Sky Zone,” Pitaniello said. “We put a box in the back of the church and donations came in.”

Through donations and fundraising, the parish collected over $3,500, exceeding its original goal. With the money, volunteers built 30 bunk beds; each bed costs around $350 to make.

Students in All Saints’ Faith Formation program donated handmade pillowcases and blankets to the cause. Every bed donated comes with a mattress, sheets and blankets. Normally volunteers could help deliver the beds to receiving families, but during COVID-19 there are limitations on who can help with the drop-off. 

Heffern recalls her first time doing a delivery for a family in Schenectady. The bunk bed was going to two boys, both very playful and energetic, she said. After bringing everything in, they asked the boys to leave the room so they could make the bed. When the boys came back in, one started to cry.
“And that was when I was hooked,” she said. “I said OK, I’m in.”

Added Heffern: “It’s something we take for granted, a bed. It’s something adults look forward to recharge. That’s where you go to heal, and for kids, it’s all they have. It’s their sanctuary.”