Lake of the Ozarks’ Boating Magazine
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LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Lake: Slumberland Furniture and Scott’s Concrete are helping needy kids at the Lake get a good night’s sleep, with their annual Mattress Giveaway.
The partnership between the two local businesses has provided hundreds of beds for local kids. Slumberland owners Randy and Jill Ray started in 2008, with about 20 mattress sets; the opportunities continued to increase and in 2014, Scott’s Concrete chipped in to help bring more beds to more kids. In 2017, they delivered nearly 60 beds—which include a frame, box spring, mattress, and sheet set—to local kids who were sleeping on the couch or the floor. This year, they have 77 beds to give away to kids in need. Jill Ray and Scottie Martin—owner of Scott’s Concrete—say they love helping kids every year.
“It’s our favorite time of the year!” Ray enthused, adding, “It’s my delivery guys’ favorite week of deliveries.” Slumberland Furniture’s corporate offices have been supporting the program, dubbed “Homes For The Holidays,” through their stores for 50 years. Ray said at the Lake, as more organizations help, they’re able to get more kids in a safe, comfortable bed. They do give away mattresses in key situations throughout the year, but she says the major Mattress Giveaway happens in December, because Sealy gives them a price break that month — allowing them to stretch the dollars. This year, Arrowhead Title, in Lake Ozark, came aboard and is helping provide a sheet set for every bed. 93.5 Rocks radio station handles the advertising and also takes calls for mattress requests.
Slumberland works with Lake area schools to get connected with families where kids are doubled- or tripled-up in beds, or are sleeping on couches or pallets on the floor. Other tips come in through callers to the radio station. Ray mentioned one mom who had been helped by Citizens Against Domestic Violence (CADV): they connected her and her kids with a place to live, and Slumberland got the kids off the floor and into beds. In another sad situation, the Division of Family Services was threatening to remove a child from a home who did not have a bed to sleep in: Slumberland got that kid a bed, and kept the family together.
She says the experience is both heartbreaking and inspiring. “Some of the kids are like, ‘This is what I wanted!’… They’re 10 years old and they never had their own room or their own bed.”
Ray said kids send thank-you cards and photos. “What a difference it can make for someone who’s trying to scrimp and save for food…”
Know of a Lake-area kid without a bed? Call 573-302-4646 and they will get a free, comfy bed for Christmas.
Past Photos From Slumberland’s Mattress Giveaway
