Seattle Police Officers Jeremy Wade and Ryan Gallagher say they were heartbroken after meeting two little girls living in a townhouse who had no beds and were sleeping on the floor with just a dirty blanket.
“We left the house just wishing we could do more for them beyond our regular police duties,” Wade told the Seattle Times two months ago.
Their discontent drove the officers to return a few days later with new twin beds for the two young girls, paid for out of their own pockets.
Officer Wade said the surprised grandmother said she felt “like a million dollars” while the officers assembled the beds from IKEA and left gift bags for each girl who used the items to decorate their new room.
To address this need in their community, the officers founded the “Beds for Kids Project.” Operating with help from the Seattle Police Foundation (SPF) Beds for Kids has been raising awareness and money all summer, in order to purchase new IKEA bedding supplies for the poorest kids in the city.
IKEA Seattle has generously donated five thousand dollars in bedding supplies to the cause.
On September 6th the Seattle Police Foundation, IKEA Seattle, and SPD officers will be volunteering their own time to assemble and distribute the 40 beds they’ve already raised money for. Each bed comes complete with sheets and pillow cases. IKEA has also pledged to donate backpacks and school supplies for the children receiving the beds.
The project has raised twelve thousand dollars for their September 6 event, but they could use a lot more help. See their web page to help buy sheets, pillowcases or mattresses. All donations go directly towards purchasing bedding supplies.
(READ more in the Seattle Times) File Photo of a police officer smiling, by Peter Martin Hall, via CC – Story tip from Julia Frerichs