MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — For some families, having a roof overhead doesn’t mean their children have a bed to sleep in.
In the United States, approximately two to three percent of American children are living without beds. In the Bethlehem area, new beds were distributed and assembled in homes Wednesday through a partnership between Expand Energy and the St. Vincent de Paul Society Bed Ministry.
The effort was made possible through a $5,000 donation from Expand Energy and its intern program. Bed pillows and linens were also provided at no cost.
Stephanie Paluda, community affairs manager for Expand Energy, said the need can be overlooked even after a family finds housing.
“So, for me it was a new idea of okay I know that people struggle with homelessness or being unhoused, but I didn’t realize that there was a problem that okay you’ve secured housing, but you don’t actually have a real bed to sleep in,” Paluda said.
Carol Wack, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Elm Grove Conference, said volunteers often see children sleeping on the floor when they visit families.
“So, in visiting these people we often find that children are not sleeping in beds, they’re on the floor, they have to go to school the next day. So, we decided to take on a bed ministry because the thrift store stopped selling mattresses about 10 years ago,” Wack said.