BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The leaders of a new non-profit organization in town are hoping to make a difference in their community – one bed at a time.

Ed and Jenny Lynne Pfeifer have founded a local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a nationwide movement to build and deliver beds to children in need. Children who don’t have a place to sleep at night. Children who deserve much more.

“I like to build things, and it just seemed like it was something I could do,” said Ed Pfeifer, who stumbled across a podcast of SHP last fall and felt compelled to join the cause. “I’ve heard that if you wanna’ change the world, change the world where you’re at.”

SHP, which started in 2012, helps children ages 3-17 who are either sleeping on the floor, on a couch, or sharing a bed with siblings or caregivers. The 2-3 percent in this country who make up what they call a “hidden crisis” – child bedlessness.

Their mission is simple – “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!” Their task? Accept bed requests, build the twin-sized bunks, and deliver them to homes where they are installed and made up, complete with a brand-new mattress, bedding, and pillow.

The Pfeifers, before launching the Crawford-Wyandot County chapter, underwent national training in Salt Lake City, Utah. They recruited volunteers and traveled to Hilliard, Ohio, where they watched a build and went along with the delivery team.

Jenny Lynne Pfeifer said that on the second stop, the children happened to be home, their joy evident. “We delivered the beds at noon and the kids, ages three and seven, were so excited they wanted to go to bed at noon. It was very powerful honestly.”

The Pfeifers and their core team of nine volunteers from both counties have already built 26 beds. Lumber, tools, and other supplies are pre-determined by SHP, Ed Pfeifer said, so the bunks have identical headboards, footboards, side rails, and slats.

The cost for each bed is $250, Jenny Lynne Pfeifer said, so the nonprofit relies on national partners for support as well as local funding. “It’s also one of the goals of SHP to never pay for bedding,” she said. “So, there’s a way for everybody to participate.”

Nationwide, the organization recently celebrated a milestone – delivery of its 300,000th bed. It also concluded its annual “Bunks Across America” event during which 12,955 volunteers built 10,075 beds in one week, its largest bed-building effort so far.

Locally, applications will be open beginning this week to residents in the Nevada zip code (44849), Ed Pfeifer said, and then likely move to Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky, and other communities as the inventory of beds – and donations – continue to grow.

Information is available on the organization’s Facebook page, via email at OH-CRAWFORDWYANDOT@SHPBEDS. ORG, on their website SHPBEDS.ORG/CHAPTER/OH-CRAWFORD-WYANDOT/, by calling 844-432-2337, Ext. 5989, or writing them at P.O. Box 41 in Bucyrus.

Because SHP volunteers are building more than furniture – they’re giving kids a proper place to sleep. “They are actually getting their hands dirty and putting sweat equity in this,” he said. “It’s neat to see like-minded people all coming together.”