Lumber to slumber: Teens in Libertyville are building beds for children in need

Teen volunteers at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Libertyville have been building beds this week for children who wouldn’t otherwise have a comfortable place to sleep.

The work is part of the parish’s Bed Ministry and is taking place in a parish-owned space on Milwaukee Avenue, just a stone's throw away from the church.

There, the 75 teens from St. Joseph's SHINE (St. Joe’s Helping in Neighborhoods Everywhere) outreach sanded, cut, drilled, stained and then assembled bed frames.

'They're (for) children in the greater Lake County area that are sadly, sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed,” Deacon Dan Coughlin said.

Providing the beds will allow families who are struggling financially to focus on other needs, Coughlin said.

“The beauty is the kids are always overjoyed to receive that gift that many of us take for granted,” he added.

The parish started the ministry in November 2018 and has since built and donated more than 2,000 beds for kids in northern Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, and parts of DuPage, Boone, and Walworth (Wisconsin) counties. From April 2023 to April 2024 alone, the ministry delivered 763 beds.

Currently, the parish has over 100 requests on its list, and more come in daily. Once the beds are made, they are delivered to the child’s home along with a donated mattress, pillow and bedding, so it is ready to be slept in.

The bed ministry relies on donations for bedding, which includes pillows, sheets, blankets and comforters.