SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE BED BUILD PROJECT

August 6, 2025 at 11:39 a.m.

Father Joseph O’Brien looks over a plank while sanding it as part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(CINDY SCHULTZ)**

Kaleigh Ublacker, 7, helps move wood planks to the next station as part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(Cindy Schultz)**

Parishioners and volunteers assemble headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children as part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(Cindy Schultz)**

Sarah Hurley, (c.) a core crew member with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, helps load bed frame pieces onto a truck on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(Cindy Schultz)**

Braydon Huestis, 14, soaks bed frame pieces in a vinegar mixture to preserve the wood and prevent insect damage as part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(Cindy Schultz)**

Brian Fear uses a screw gun to assembly bed frame pieces as part of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project on Aug. 2 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy. Parishioners and volunteers assembled headboards, footboards and sideboards needed to make bed frames for children. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) **(CINDY SCHULTZ)**

Faith formation program at St. Michael’s and St. Jude’s builds beds for children

On Saturday, Aug. 2, the faith formation program at the Catholic Community of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Jude the Apostle welcomed Sleep in Heavenly Peace for their fourth annual bed build to provide beds for children without one.

“This build is truly a yearlong project where we raise money for the supplies needed, and then we complete the year with the build in St. Michael’s parking lot,” said JoAnn Taylor, faith formation director, in an email to The Evangelist. “We are pleased to say that we will be able to build 35 beds this year. In four years, we have raised over $30,000 to build a total of 122 beds.”

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was started in a garage with the idea that all kids should have a bed to sleep in at night. It has grown to have thousands of volunteers and chapters in all 50 states. The local chapter is located in Mechanicville. To learn more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, head to https://shpbeds.org.