DETROIT – Volunteers from the organization Sleep In Heavenly Peace delivered nearly a dozen beds to families across metro Detroit Saturday.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a charity that believes that all children deserve a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Volunteers built nine beds Saturday and delivered them to four families.
"It's a blessing," Wayne Heard said. "I've never experienced this before."
The Heard family has four children. All six of them watched as volunteers carried armfuls of materials into their home.
"It's priceless because you don't see too much of this in Detroit, Michigan. It's heartwarming," Heard said. "When you see this, you see it on TV and it'll be out of town and it'll be far away from here, but it's a blessing."
Last year the Heard family lost everything due to a massive bedbug infestation. They moved into a home on Detroit's west side, but after everything, they couldn't afford to replace the kids beds.
"It's very hard to rebuild, especially when you put so much into one thing and you got to start over from the beginning," Heard said. "It's very hard."
When the couple came across the charity online, they thought it was too good to be true.
"She didn't think it was real," said Heard. "We were sitting at the park one day and they called, and she was jumping for joy."
"There is definitely a need," said chapter co-president Wendell Gramlich. "I could see thousands of requests coming in for the next couple of years easily."
It costs about $350 to build one bed. Every delivery includes the frame, mattress and bedding.
Saturday night, the Heard children will have their own beds to sleep in, and that's why volunteers go above and beyond to give back.
"It lights up my life just to see their face from having something -- being given something of their own," Gramlich said. "It really hits me. You know, it's something special."
None of this would be possible without the volunteers, but materials aren't cheap. The price of wood, hardware, mattresses, bedding and pillows all add up. To get involved or to donate, visit Sleep in Heavenly Peace's official website or Facebook page.