Talladega Chamber and United Way partner with nonprofit and army of volunteers to exceed goal of building 75 beds for area children
Talladega Chamber of Commerce and United Way partner with Sleep in Heavenly Peace nonprofit and more than 100 volunteers to build 77 beds for children in the area. (Chris Norwood / The Daily Home)
Not even a soaking rain could stop the volunteers from coming out this past weekend to help build beds with the Greater Talladega/Lincoln/Munford Area Chamber of Commerce to benefit children throughout the area.
According to Val Goodman, vice president of the Gadsden Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, about 150 volunteers originally signed up to build beds for children from scratch in the chamber parking lot in Talladega, and more than 120 showed up to do the work in the steady rain that fell early Saturday morning.
The goal was to build 75 beds. They ended the day with 77.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) and the United Way of North Talladega County have been partners since 2019. During that time, SHP has built more than 4,570 beds and delivered more than 250 of them to families in Talladega County.
“We serve nine counties in Alabama, and of all of those, Talladega County has the third-highest need,” Goodman said.
Valerie Burrage, executive director of United Way of North Talladega County, thanked all the donors who helped make Saturday’s event successful, particularly Georgia-Pacific’s donation of $10,000.
Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative cooked lunch for everybody for the third year in a row, and Lauren Deal of Talladega’s historic Ritz Theatre and McDonald’s took care of breakfast. Volunteers also came from 2Mee, First Family Services, Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Alabama Power Service Organization and numerous others.
The raw materials for the bed frames came from Lowe’s. The boards were cut, sanded, stained and branded with “SHP” on site, then were assembled — all by volunteer crews.
The families who benefit from the program are referred through the Department of Human Resources, local school systems and the group’s website, www.shpbeds.org. A person in need can post contact information on the site, and someone will call back.
The next build in Talladega is scheduled for March 15, 2025, at a location to be determined.
