Production with a purpose
A national nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, organizes “build days” where volunteers construct beds for children in need
Watching the news can be depressing, except when the story is how woodworking helps the community. Our local news highlighted a recent woodworking event for a good cause – building beds for children. The event was staged by the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization driven by the simple idea that no kid should be sleeping on the floor.
A national nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, organizes “build days” where volunteers construct beds for children in need. In the 12-year period from its founding in 2012 to 2024, Sleep in Heavenly Peace built and delivered an incredible 251,843 beds.
The beds are nothing elaborate or fancy, but sturdy, well-made twin beds designed to do what furniture is supposed to do — serve a purpose. Each bed delivery includes a mattress and bedding, because a frame alone doesn’t solve the problem.
What I appreciate about Sleep in Heavenly Peace is that it understands production. Straightforward designs and repeatable parts are produced in batches, with workstations set up in efficient assembly-line order. Over a typical build day, stacks of dimensional lumber turn into stacks of completed components for dozens of bed frames. Not exciting work, but basic cutting, drilling, sanding, and assembling. In other words, pretty much what we do every day – just aimed squarely at a very specific need.
Entire communities show up, shop owners donate time or materials, and seasoned woodworkers operate saws and keep things moving. First-timers sand parts and drive screws, and local businesses chip in financially. Delivery teams load trucks, carry beds into their new homes, and assemble them on the spot. (Sometimes with help from the eager kids themselves.) At the end of the day, with all the beds delivered, it’s not about individual craftsmanship, but collective effort.
This kind of community project fits any professional woodworker, cabinet shop, furniture maker, or even serious hobbyist. We understand layout, tolerances, grain direction, and efficiency. We not only have the tools, but we know how to set up a production workflow using them.
If there’s a Sleep in Heavenly Peace build day scheduled where you live, involvement is as easy as volunteering to create some sawdust. Can’t make the event? Offer some pre-event shop time to dimension lumber components in advance. If you have employees, make it a team build.
Our careers are spent building kitchens, cabinets, furniture and custom pieces for paying customers; nothing at all wrong with that. But it’s extremely rewarding using those same skills to ensure a child has a bed to sleep in. That’s woodworking doing exactly what it’s purpose should be — serving people.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
