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April 1, 2010 -
Simmons Bedding Company
(“Simmons”) has partnered with
Atlanta-based humanitarian
organization
CARE to donate 720 foam
mattresses for Haitians left
homeless by January’s
devastating earthquake. The
mattresses, which contain 5-inch
polyurethane foam cores, were
transported to Port-au-Prince
and Leogane, Haiti, where CARE
staff and community volunteers
are overseeing their
distribution, with priority
being given to injured and ill
individuals, to children and to
the elderly.
“The people of Haiti have
demonstrated a tremendous will
to survive and persevere despite
losing homes, neighborhoods,
friends and family members to
this terrible tragedy,” said Tim
Oakhill, Simmons’ executive vice
president of marketing. “Upon
learning of the destruction, we
recognized that Simmons could
help bring an element of comfort
to the homeless by donating beds
to CARE’s relief effort, and
we’re proud to know that these
mattresses will make life a bit
better for hundreds of homeless
Haitians.”
Simmons has a history of
donating mattresses to those in
need including survivors of
natural disasters. In 2007, the
company provided Beautyrest®
mattresses to families who had
evacuated New Orleans and
relocated to nearby cities
following Hurricane Katrina, and
additional mattress donations
have been made to charities such
as the American Cancer Society’s
Hope Lodges and the
Richie-Madden Children’s
Foundation. In these previous
donations, Simmons supplied
traditional branded mattresses
that would be sold to everyday
consumers; however, due to the
weather conditions and lack of
permanent shelters in Haiti,
Simmons has elected to provide
foam cores with vinyl waterproof
covers in this instance. Three
foam producers—Flexible Foam,
Future Foam and FXI
International--donated the
polyurethane cores for the
effort.
“The conditions the Haitian
people currently must endure are
worse than most Americans can
imagine, so every donation is
very much needed and
appreciated,” said David
Gazashvili of CARE’s Emergency &
Humanitarian Assistance Unit.
“Simmons’ mattresses are
providing several hundred people
with a soft and sanitary place
to rest at night, which is a
welcome change from the hard and
sometimes muddy ground most of
the homeless are sleeping upon.”
About Simmons Bedding Company
Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding
Company is one of the world's
largest mattress manufacturers,
manufacturing and marketing a
broad range of products
including Beautyrest®,
Beautyrest Black®, Beautyrest®
NxG®, Beautyrest Studio™,
BeautySleep®, ComforPedic by
Simmons™, Natural Care® and
Beautyrest Beginnings™. Simmons
Bedding Company operates 19
conventional bedding
manufacturing facilities and one
juvenile bedding manufacturing
facility across the United
States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Simmons Bedding Company also
serves as a key supplier of beds
to many of the world’s leading
hotel groups and resort
properties. Simmons Bedding
Company is committed to
developing superior mattresses
and promoting a higher quality
sleep for consumers around the
world. For more information,
visit Simmons Bedding’s Web
site, www.simmons.com.
About CARE
Founded in 1945, CARE is a
leading humanitarian
organization fighting the root
causes of poverty. CARE has been
working in Haiti since 1954.
Many of CARE's more than
200-person staff in Haiti
includes emergency personnel who
were part of the response to the
devastating Hurricane Hanna in
2008. In Haiti, CARE's programs
focus on governance, HIV and
AIDS, reproductive health,
maternal and child health,
education, food security, and
water and sanitation. To learn
more about CARE's work, visit
www.care.org.
For more information on
Simmons, visit
www.simmons.com.
For more information about
CARE, visit
www.care.org. |
