With the help of the United Way and Furniture Sharehouse, Westchester families in need will experience a dream only made possible by a good night’s sleep on their new mattresses.
The two organizations teamed up to provide 106 mattresses to dozens of families living in White Plains and throughout Westchester County.
“We're just amazed and loving it right now,” said Deshawn Manning. Deshawn and his wife Cassandra, one of the families receiving the mattresses, appeared at Furniture Sharehouse’s warehouse stationed at the Westchester County Airport on Thursday.
The shipment of mattresses came at the perfect time for the Yonkers couple and their four boys who were in desperate need of furniture.
“They've been asking every day 'When is it coming? When is it coming?' To them it's like Christmas,” said Cassandra.
The boys, aged 13, 10, 6 and 4, had previously been bunking with one another and had been experiencing back pain due to their old, worn out mattresses.
“They're sleeping on their mattresses, but their mattresses are so worn and they really have to be thrown out,” said Deshawn. “The springs are starting to come out, the stuffing's starting to come out, so to have these mattresses come in is going to be tremendous for the kids… For them it's going to mean the world. It's really going to change their lives.”
Cassandra believes the mattresses will do more than just alleviate their back pain. The mother of four is equally excited to see the smiles on their faces that the new mattresses will bring. “The pride that they'll have is unbelievable.”
The sole contributor of mattresses to this cause was Tempur-Pedic. Due to possible bed bug infestations, only foam mattress donations were accepted.
“These types of mattresses are foam,” said Naomi Adler, United Way’s chief executive officer. “Therefore they can be used in all types of places in which bed bugs have been a problem. Bed bugs won't infiltrate these types of mattresses.”
The donation was made possible by the United Way’s Gift-in-Kind program, which assists companies and individuals who would like to donate products and goods to nonprofit organizations.
Furniture Sharehouse is one of the nonprofit organizations working with the United Way. The organization collects “gently-used” furniture and redistributes it free of charge throughout Westchester County to families in need. The families are referred by social service agencies.
“Our single biggest client need is beds, and we never have enough,” said Kate Bialo, executive director of Furniture Sharehouse. “This wonderful donation… will make a huge difference in the lives of dozens of families who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor.”
In addition to mattresses, Furniture Sharehouse regularly distributes sofas, tables, dressers, nightstands and more.
According to Nadler, mattresses and other pieces of furniture are discarded every day, with people not realizing how many families, like the Mannings, can use them. Those interested in donating to the United Way may visit its website (www.uwwp.org) where information and regulations on how and what can be donated is provided.
