 March
23, 2011 - 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.
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.
To learn more, visit
www.WorldBed.org. |
