Helping someone to hope: Beds-4-Kidz

WHATS IN THIS BLOG:

• You mean kids don’t have a bed to sleep in?
• A visionary program Beds-4-kids.
• How it all started.
• Excitement on their faces.

I VOLUNTEERED SOME HOURS THIS WEEKEND TO GIVE BEDS TO NEEDY KIDS. Some families may need food, yes, but there are welfare and church programs for this. Some kids may need doctors, but we have Medicaid. Some kids may need clothes, but we have Goodwill, etc. Some kids may need beds, but…… Wait– do you mean kids don’t have beds???

But when a church gets out of the pews, and gives time and money to provide beds for poor and needy kids in the community, that’s impressive.

HOW DID IT START?
Steve Stucker is an ordained pastor at New Covenant Church in Albuquerque. For the past 27 years, he has served as a Weatherman and Morning Show Co-host in Albuquerque.

A few years ago, Steve was contacted on Facebook by an aunt of a 12 year-old girl named Dakota who had spina bifida, and who was sleeping uncomfortably on a couch. She needed a hospital bed. Steve dismissed the call, thinking he couldn’t help. But then God spoke to him later, and suggested he ask around. He did, and received offers of hospital beds. He arranged for delivery to Dakota. She now lives in Farmington, and still uses the hospital bed.

THE PROBLEM.
In some homes in the community, kids sleep on the couch, or on the floor. Or kids don’t have their own bed. To be honest, I had never thought about this, but I wanted to find out more.

THE RESULTS.
Steve’s organization Beds4Kidz gave away 100 new twin beds in ONE day, on 28 October 2017. This event took the total to 3,000 people placed in free beds in the past few years.

Volunteers showed up to work in many areas. Bed moving, linen distribution, welcoming, family escorts, floor captains, loading of beds, prayer team, and clean up. Trucks/trailers and helpers were needed to deliver the twin beds.

IF YOU WANT TO HELP…
You can read testimonies from grateful families who have received beds for their kids. Click here. You can also donate to the cause on this website.

TAKEAWAY.
I’m impressed with Steve Stucker for his compassion for others, and his vision. And I’m wowed that more than 80 people from local churches, and various NGOs showed up on Saturday morning to plan and assist in the delivery process. It appeared that about half the volunteers were from the New Covenant Church, but Beds4Kidz encourages and utilizes involvement from many local churches. Matthew Herrera, owner of Adwelling Design, donated the money to buy the beds. His clients donated money to purchase the linens and pillows. Matthew was an enthusiastic and capable leader, organizing the volunteers and managing the floor activities.

To me, this is what churches should be doing. It’s great to spend time studying the Bible, of course. But benevolence is at the core of the gospel, and this kind of service to the poor and needy is where the rubber meets the Jesus road, in my opinion.

There are large numbers of people in Albuquerque, elsewhere in the USA, and overseas in places like Syria and Yemen and Somalia who need help…..and their kids need hope too. It’s easy to google to find and donate to worthy NGOs that help kids in the USA and overseas (Samaritan’s Purse is one such NGO.)
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The Gray Nomad ….. help someone to hope.

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If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.
[Book of Leviticus, chapter 25.]