The Bed Boss, a Tennessee-based mattress company, donated 500 twin mattresses to the Buckner International. The beds will be distributed to families served by Buckner locally and internationally through Buckner Family Hope Centers.

The first 200 beds arrived on April 8. Of these, 160 beds will be distributed domestically through Buckner domestic aid and client assistance programs. The remaining beds will be delivered to Peru and Mexico. On May 29, 300 additional beds arrived and are currently being divided between Buckner Family Hope Centers in Ethiopia, Dominican Republic and Texas.

“We have been extremely pleased to partner with The Bed Boss and are excited about the opportunity to meet the immediate needs of the families that Buckner currently serves with a clean mattress to sleep on,” said Mike Julian, director of international aid. “The beds are just one tangible way we can meet the families’ immediate physical needs that will in turn give us the opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel, where they can find true rest.”

[caption id="attachment_9389" align="alignright" width="300"] Clockwise from back: Buckner employees Grady Howell, Mike Julian, Steve Singleton and Johnny Flowers were happy to unload the shipment at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid.[/caption]

Buckner Family Hope Centers focus on improving the lives of individuals and families in communities that experience moderate to extreme poverty by providing a holistic ministry approach. Each of the 27 Family Hope Centers are built around current Buckner community programs and develop alliances with other community agencies with the purpose of walking alongside families as their lives are transformed. Buckner strives to first meet basic needs such as food, healthcare and clothing, followed by long-term goals including vocational training, life skills, micro business development and spiritual development.

“We have a soft place in our hearts for foster care and adoption,” said Andrea Folkins, The Bed Boss founder, who started the family company with her husband, Benjamin, in 2008. “We love to see families created and sustained, so when we decided as a couple to begin donating mattresses Buckner quickly came to mind.”

The Bed Boss aims to donate 1,000 beds to Buckner humanitarian aid programs by the end of this year. They hope to continue this long-term partnership with Buckner to impact the lives of vulnerable children and families. This is the company’s first mattress donation.

For more information on the ways you can support Buckner humanitarian aid ministries through in-kind donations, please contact Mike Julian at mjulian@buckner.org.