Local Organization Provides Free Beds to Children Who Don’t Have Them
Sleep in heavenly peace isn’t only a line from a popular Christmas song. It’s also the mission and moniker for a nationwide organization dedicated to giving free beds to every child who doesn’t have one. Its motto is “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!”
That phrase, however, works only if local volunteers fulfill the mission.
Since 2021, the La Harpe chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) has provided more than 520 beds to children in a region extending north to Little York, south to Rushville, east to Canton and west to the Mississippi River.
The local chapter is based at La Harpe Christian Church. However, despite the organization’s name being linked with a divine state of calm, SHP doesn’t promote any form of religion in its work.
In 2020, chapter co-presidents Darin Higgins and Mike Moore heard a radio story about children who didn’t have beds. They shared the information with their Bible study group.
“Educators in our group said, ‘You would be surprised. We’ve got kids sleeping in car seats and on laundry. They’re on the couch,’” said Diana Higgins, the chapter’s social media manager and delivery coordinator. “We were going to start building beds on our own. Then we started doing some research and found SHP.”
Lack of Sleep Affects Development In the chapter’s early days, Higgins recalled, a family requested beds for their children because everyone in the house was sleeping on one air mattress. She learned the kids were falling asleep in school because they didn’t get adequate rest. That changed after each child received a bed.
According to the national SHP organization, 2 to 3 percent of American children don’t have beds. These statistics are on its website:
• Poor sleep can lead to hyperactivity issues as early as age 5.
• In teenagers, anxiety and depression may be linked to poor sleeping habits.
• Kids who don’t sleep well don’t grow as well as their peers.
• Kids who don’t get enough sleep often struggle with irritability, forgetfulness and emotional regulation.
• Kids who are sleep deprived may struggle with being overweight or obese.
• Kids who get good sleep tend to get sick less frequently.
• Plenty of sleep usually translates to better grades, improved emotional health and a healthier home life.
Meeting a Basic Need SHP was founded in Kimberly, Idaho, in 2012. It has grown to 450 chapters that provide free beds, mattresses, pillows and linens to children from 3 to 17 years old. To begin a chapter, a group must build 10 beds, which La Harpe Christian Church volunteers did in 2020. COVID-19 delayed the establishment of the chapter until the following year.
Higgins said the group anticipated giving away 100 beds total over several years. It was an underestimation. She said two Facebook posts went viral, leading to explosions of 50 and 100 applications each time from parents, grandparents, foster parents and social service agencies.
“The need is prevalent in all sizes of towns,” she said. “We've done over 200 beds in Macomb alone.”
Meeting needs was difficult in the chapter’s early years. However, SHP’s national organization hosted 24-hour bed-building marathons in 2025 and 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the first year, 5,000 beds were built. That number doubled at this year’s event, which the Higginses attended. Each year, the La Harpe chapter received 100 beds.
Local Bed-Building Events
The sturdy beds, which are capable of supporting 250 pounds, are made of lumber from local or national sources, such as Lowe’s, which is a SHP sponsor. Most often, they are built by churches groups, social organizations, schools and teams under the guidance of chapter members. It costs $2,000 to host a build event to make 20 beds. The time of each build varies based on the skill of the workers.
“It's a pretty streamlined process,” Higgins said. “It depends on whether all of the wood is cut or not. Almost every piece has to be sanded. It just depends on the quality of wood.”
After construction, each bed is completed by two unique processes.
“We make our own stain out of steel wool and vinegar,” Higgins said. “The steel wool disintegrates in the vinegar, and it makes kind of an amber brown color. It helps repel bed bugs.”
The headboard and footboards are branded with the SHP logo.
“That’s usually one of the most fun parts of a build, and we try to give everybody a chance to brand,” Higgins said. “We have two really nice brands and there’s always a fire going [to heat the irons].”
To date, the La Harpe chapter of SHP has 148 beds in its inventory. However, it has less than 50 sets of linen.
The Soft Side of Making a Bed
La Harpe Christian Church donates money monthly to support SHP, but not enough to cover all expenses. The chapter also relies on other donations to purchase bedding and mattresses, which are ordered by the pallet – 28 at a time.
“SHP has a deal with Serta. The beds have a Sleep in Heavenly Peace Logo,” Higgins said.
Three local quilting groups make quilts, children’s groups have made fleece tie blankets and others donate new “beds in a bag,” which include sheets, a pillowcase and bedspread.
Higgins is always looking for bargains.
“I was in Quincy one day and stopped at Walmart, and they had a twin sheet sets on sale for $5. I bought 22 sets.”
Making Special Deliveries
The delivery process begins with collecting bed components from storage areas in La Harpe, Blandinsville and Bushnell.
“Our stuff is all over. We don't have a central location for everything,” Higgins said. “We have to make a couple stops to get everything we need when it’s time to make a delivery.”
Each bed’s headboard, footboard and side rails are assembled during project builds. The pieces are put together in recipients’ homes. A single bed frame with a mattress, pillow and bedding can be ready in as little as 15 minutes. Bunk beds take a little longer.
If children are home during the delivery, they often want to be involved.
“They'll help put a washer on a screw and want to help hold the thing in place and put it together, Higgins said. “The mattresses are all compressed, so it springs up as soon as you release it. It's like my magic trick every time. That is always kind fun for us.”
The greatest magic, however, is seeing children’s faces when they receive their new beds. Higgins recalled a boy’s reaction to receiving his bed-in-a-bag linens.
“He was like, ‘Is that for me?’ And he just wanted to hold it. Then he asked if I could take it from him to go make the bed. He was excited that he was getting something all for him.”
Beds often are delivered within one or two weeks after they are requested, depending on volunteers’ schedules.
“The hardest time for us to deliver is harvest because almost all of my volunteers are farmers,” Higgins said. “As soon as harvest hits here in about a month, I'm going be out of commission for a month to five weeks unless it rains and I can quickly set something up.”
Making Sweet Dreams Come True “This is one of the best missions I've ever been involved in,” Higgins said.
“Every kid deserves a bed. Every kid deserves a safe place to call their own, and a comfortable spot so they can get a good night's rest to be the best they can be in the day.”
To apply for a free bed from the La Harpe chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, search for the organization on Facebook or visit SHPbeds.org. The Facebook page also includes links to wish lists for bedding, which will be delivered to the church.
