Strategic Philanthropy: Sleep Essential to Survival

Talk to any nonprofit serving people in need and they will tell you that the requests for mattresses are overwhelming and never ending. That’s what our network told us, and luckily Good360 was able to find donors (Tempur-Pedic, Sleep Innovations and IKEA) to fulfill this great need.

Over the past month, Good360 has delivered more than 2,100 mattresses to groups that are using them in shelters and distributing them to families in need. Mattresses, in all their bulky glory, are not an easy donation to process and with the outbreak of bed bugs, donations of mattresses declined because groups were not able to prep gently used mattresses properly for distribution. This makes receiving new mattresses a priority for Good360 and our network.

The benefits of sleep are not something to take laying down (pun not intended but noted). “Sleep is essential for survival,” said Cindy Hallberlin, President and CEO of Good360. “In fact, scientists say that people can survive longer without food than without sleep, yet many people-in-need—attempting to live a normal life—must combat sleep deprivation on a daily basis.” It’s not hard to find examples, such as the Manning family in Yonkers, NY (who were recipients of a generous donation through our Tempur-Pedic program), who had four sons struggling in school because they did not have a comfortable place to sleep. “They are tired during the day because of the restless sleep, and their concentration isn’t where it needs to be,” said Cassandra Manning. “This will be a tremendous help for our family, and I am just so very grateful.”

Children are not the only ones impacted. We could spend the day talking on behalf of our nonprofit network about adults who are unemployed and not able to focus at interviews or during job-readiness tests, families who have lost everything in a time of disaster, or injured veterans coming home with no comfortable place to heal. The staff at Good360 hears stories daily and finds that our passion for product philanthropy grows because of it.

The product needs of nonprofits doesn’t and won’t ever stop at mattresses though, which is why we are so grateful to you, our community of donors, who listen closely to the needs of our organizations and step up time and time again.