Worldbed folded for shipment
In response to the devastation and tremendous human suffering in Japan following the March 11 cataclysmic 9.0 earthquake and tsunami and the unfolding nuclear crisis, bedding industry non-profit WorldBed will provide donated emergency beds to offer rest and respite to survivors.
“Members of the industry are seeking a way to give substantial help to the survivors, and WorldBed will provide direct relief to those who are without a place to sleep,” said WorldBed Executive Director Laura Castro. “Rest and sleep are essential for the health and recovery of people hit by this kind of catastrophe.”
In partnership with WorldBed, non-profit disaster relief organization Hope Force International and Giving Children Hope will distribute the water-resistant, cot-sized WorldBeds to temporary shelters, medical facilities and other places where beds are needed. It is estimated that nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
Specialty sleep retailer Ergo Customized Comfort and Relax the Back were the first major donors to step up to make a donation of an entire pallet of WorldBeds each, totaling 100 WorldBeds. Ashley Furniture HomeStore of Kearney and Grand Island, Nebraska, will match donations of WorldBed plus give a $38 gift card, equal to the donation cost of the WorldBed, to every customer who donates a WorldBed. IntoBedWeGo will donate a WorldBed for each bed they sell.
“We are grateful to WorldBed for providing this channel for us to give comfort and care to the survivors in their grave time of need,” said Michael Nermon, owner and founder of Ergo Customized Comfort. “We hope it will give victims strength and hope to have a bed to sleep on as they pick up the pieces of their lives.”
The donated beds are scheduled for pick up next week and have received approval from international authorities to accept the delivery in Japan. According to responders on the ground in Sendai, the hardest hit region, WorldBeds are high on the list for priority delivery. Already WorldBeds in Japan are being used by relief workers.
WorldBed has created a special fund in which all donations will be dedicated to the Japan relief effort. WorldBed will also accept donations at High Point Market Week, April 2-7, at the Specialty Sleep Association exhibit space, IHFC, M413.
Click here to donate to WorldBed or to learn more.
About WorldBed: Created in 2005 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, WorldBed is a not-for-profit organization that serves disaster-hit areas of the world such as Haiti, Chile, Africa and Pakistan by providing donations of cot-sized emergency relief field beds, consisting of specialized three-inch water resistant, medical-grade covered foam. WorldBed is made possible through the generous donations of its sponsors, including founding sponsor Anatomic Global, a California-based manufacturer of memory foam sleep products. WorldBed’s goal is to distribute 200,000 beds worldwide to places and people in need.