Bucks for Beds: Sleep in Heavenly Peace gets Starbucks grant

It may sound counterintuitive but nearly a dozen local kids will sleep more soundly thanks to a local Starbucks.

On Wednesday, the Starbucks on Lafayette Parkway in LaGrange presented a check for $2,000 to Sleep in Heavenly Peace as part of their community grant program.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a nonprofit organization that builds and delivers beds to children who don’t have beds to sleep in every night.  The organization started in 2012  with the motto, “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”

Store manager Kelly Burt said that the grant was provided through the Starbucks Community Foundation. Grants through the program can vary anywhere from $500 to $5,000 depending upon the area and the need, she said.

Burt said Starbucks employees are allowed to nominate local non-profits for grants once a year. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is one of three local non-profits that were selected to receive funding through the program. The Troup County Foster Association and the Chattahoochee Riverkeepers were also selected.

“This is just our way to give back to the communities who support us,” Burt said.

SHP LaGrange President Greg Watts said Sleep in Heavenly Peace exists because people like Burt help provide grants, sponsorships and donations.

“This [grant] will get 10 to 11 kids off the floor,” Watts said. “We’re just taking kids out of really bad sleeping situations and putting them in a comfortable bed of their own. Every time we have sponsorships like this it just increases what we can do.”

SHP will host a Community Bed Build Day on Saturday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 noon at New Ventures Lukken Industrial Drive in LaGrange.

The LaGrange chapter is a completely volunteer organization, so they are always looking for volunteers to participate in builds. No experience is needed to participate and you don’t need to bring any tools or materials.

For more information on Sleep in Heavenly Peace or to volunteer during the Community Bed Build Day visit https://shpbeds.org/chapter/ga-la-grange/

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