Local organization gives kids in need a good night's sleep

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Thousands of children in Western New York do not have a bed to sleep in. The local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace wants to change that.

Jerry Sheldon is the president of the Buffalo chapter of the nonprofit organization, which builds and delivers beds and bunk beds to children in need nationwide. Sheldon said Western New York has among the greatest demand for their services of all of the Idaho-based charity's more than 270 chapters.

"When we started this, we did a bit of due diligence about the need and arrived at a number of over 10,000 kids," Jerry Sheldon said.

According to Jerry Sheldon, the all-volunteer chapter has delivered more than 3,600 beds over the past three and a half years.

Founding member Mary Jo Sheldon said the feeling of being able to provide a bed to a child who needs one is "amazing."

"We've had kids waiting in the windows for us when we pull up, screaming their beds are here, they're just so excited," Mary Jo Sheldon said. "[I] remember one child who said, 'I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. I want to go to bed.'"

"For many of these children," Jerry Sheldon added, "it becomes their haven."

According to Jerry Sheldon, the local SHP chapter currently has about 1,600 requests for beds that it is working to fulfill — and they're asking the community for help. To donate or learn more about volunteering with SHP, click here.

Jerry and Mary Jo Sheldon joined News 4 at 7 on Monday night alongside Sweet Buffalo's Kimberly LaRussa for our weekly Sweet Buffalo Monday segment. You can watch the full interview in the video player at the top of this page.