Volunteers hope to build at least 100 beds for area kids this week

UNION COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An organization that provides a variety of services for families across the region is partnering with local churches to meet a huge need for many families.

At a wood workshop in Union County, volunteers were hard at work making beds for kids.

“We are doing a 100-bed build this week, we need the 100 beds to get us ahead,” said Stanley Huddleston, who is pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church and is also a faith-based coordinator with the Family Resource Center.

Pastor Huddleston discovered many families coming to the FRC for assistance lacked one thing many people take for granted.

“They needed beds for their children, we couldn’t find a resource anywhere close providing that need so we decided to see if we could do that ourselves,” said Pastor Huddleston.

Mt Olive partnered with a church in Madison, that already had a bed building ministry, and Beds for Kids began in Northeast Mississippi.

The beds are delivered to families constructed, and complete with a mattress, pillows, sheets and comforter. It costs about $60 to build the bed and a lot of the materials are donated.

Pastor Huddleston said there is always need for more donations and more volunteers.

“They’re always so thankful to get the help and so glad someone cares enough about them to do that and we want our churches to be involved in that so it’s just meeting a real need in their community,” said Huddleston.

Volunteers said they are blessed to play a role in ministry that meets a basic, but critical need.

“First we’re giving them a gift, but then we tell them it comes from Jesus, it’s a gift, part of love and loving one another,” said volunteer Billy Roberts.

“I’ve worked with Frontline, with DHS before, usually some of the things they work for is getting beds for all of the kids to get their kids back and so a lot of times parents can’t afford that, so we’re here for the families,” said Stephanie Collier, with FRC.

Volunteers expected to make more than 100 beds this week as part of the missions emphasis.