As we reflect on an extraordinary year of service and growth at Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), one thing becomes crystal clear: when communities come together, we can achieve the seemingly impossible. Our mission to ensure no kid sleeps on the floor in our town has reached new heights in 2024, touching more lives than ever before.
Exceeding Expectations
We began 2024 with an ambitious goal: to provide beds for 68,000 children in need. Today, we’re proud to announce that we’ve not only met but substantially exceeded that target, delivering beds to 73,978 children—nearly 6,000 more than our initial goal. This remarkable achievement represents a year-over-year increase of 12,596 children now sleeping in beds of their own.
To put our 2024 goal into perspective, 68,000 children would:
- Fill every seat in Levi’s Stadium or Acrisure Stadium
- Require 6,936,000 board feet of lumber (stretching 1,313.6 miles)
- Create a line of beds extending 87 miles when placed headboard to headboard
- Stack 45 miles high if arranged like bunk beds
A Quarter Million Dreams and Counting
Perhaps the most significant milestone of 2024 was surpassing 250,000 children served since our founding in 2012. To be precise, 254,381 children now have a safe, comfortable place to sleep thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers and supporters. This achievement represents:
- Enough children to fill MetLife Stadium three times over
- 25,500,000 board feet of lumber (spanning the distance from Tokyo to Seattle)
- A line of beds stretching 320 miles when placed headboard to headboard
- A tower of beds reaching 165 miles into the sky
Volunteers with Big Hearts Serve In Their Communities Every Day
A delivery team with the MO, Kansas City SE chapter participated in this year’s record breaking Deliveries Across America event.
The Power of Community
These accomplishments aren’t just numbers—they represent countless hours of dedication from our volunteers and chapters nationwide. In 2024 alone:
- 5,314 events were hosted by our chapters
- 136,903 registered volunteers contributed their time
- Nearly 500,000 volunteer hours were donated
- 190,943 applications were received from within our service areas
- Our chapters now serve a population of over 77 million Americans
The Reality of Need
While we celebrate delivering over 250,000 beds since 2012, we’ve received more than 1 million applications during that time. This stark contrast illuminates the scope of child bedlessness in America, with an estimated 2-3 percent of children lacking a bed of their own. Each application represents a child who deserves the dignity and comfort of a proper place to sleep.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we move forward, our focus remains steadfast on supporting our chapters, streamlining operations for chapter presidents, and expanding into new areas where children need our help. In the words of Jordan Allen, executive director of Sleep in Heavenly Peace:
“I would like to extend a special THANK YOU to all of our chapter presidents, core team members, volunteers, donors and sponsors who put in countless hours behind the scenes to help ensure our mission continues to grow in each of your towns. YOU continue to be the heartbeat of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and it is an absolute honor to serve this great mission with you.”
Join Our Mission
The dream of ending child bedlessness is within reach, but we need your help. Here’s how you can make a difference:
- Volunteer your time
- Start a chapter in your community
- Make a donation
- Sponsor a bed build
- Share our mission with others
Every child deserves a safe, comfortable place to lay their head at night. Together, we can ensure they all have the opportunity to sleep well and dream big.