Sleep In Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation and distribution of beds for less fortunate children, approved a chapter for the Athens and Limestone County region in August — and they have already made a tangible difference in the lives of numerous children in the area.

“These beds come complete with a wooden frame, mattress, sheets, comforter, pillow — basically everything a child could need to get a good night’s sleep,” Bill Dunnavant, president of the Athens-Limestone County SHP Chapter, told The News Courier. “Our mission is pretty simple, we want to ensure that every single child has a comfortable and safe place to sleep.”

The organization held a major bed building event at the Lowe’s parking lot near the beginning of November, according to Dunnavant. He said that he was caught off guard by the outpouring of love from the community that day — as they had 63 volunteers come out to help build 30 regular beds and bunk beds in less than three hours.

According to Dunnavant, one of the organization’s biggest supporters so far has been District 1 City Councilman Chris Seibert, who has worked to get the news out about the new local chapter.

“The way our community looks out for one another is what makes Athens the great place it is,” Seibert told The News Courier. “As the saying goes, this is truly one Athens. We gather around one another during hard times, and this is another one of those causes I’m proud to get behind.”

Saturday, Nov. 23, the local chapter delivered its first nine twin-size beds to Limestone County residents. According to Dunnavant, the chapter already has more than 30 requests for beds from families in need — most of which currently have kids sleeping in shared beds with multiple family members, on couches or on the floor.

“Personally, I’ve been going on mission trips out of the country for the past 30 odd years of my life — but this right here is the most fulfilling mission trip I could have ever been on,” Dunnavant said. “We see all these huge problems going on every day in our world, and we look over the problems happening in our own back yard. This is a problem we can solve fairly quickly if we work together. A good night’s rest can do wonders for anyone — especially a little kid.”

The faith-based nonprofit chapter is currently looking to get involved with more local churches in their life-changing efforts. Dunnavant added that they are also in need of more linen for their next bed building event, which has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 1.

“I have no building skills whatsoever, I don’t have a building background either. We have it all stationed out so that anyone, no matter the age, can come out and help,” Dunnavant said. “Everyone is capable of helping someone in need, the question is if they are willing to. I thank God I was born here in this community, because everybody helps everybody. It doesn’t matter what walk of life they are coming from — whether you are an Alabama fan or an Auburn fan — they all come together to help these kids.”

Dunnavant highlighted that the address to donate items to is 419 S. Marion St., Athens, AL, 35611. He also mentioned that to contact the organization residents can call 844-432-2337.

For more information on the local chapter, and how to register to volunteer or apply for a bed, visit https://shpbeds.org/chapter/al-limestone-co/.