SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Semi-trucks full of mattresses donated to Seattle kids
Nov 14, 2016, 1:58 PM | Updated: 2:56 pm
Ron and Don, with Officer Jeremy Wade (middle), were part of the "Beds for Kids Project" that donated more than 300 beds to children in need. (KIRO Radio)
(KIRO Radio)
The “Ron & Don” show have made careers out of giving back to those who protect us while we sleep. The KIRO Radio hosts partnered Saturday with law enforcement and others to help the other side — the kids who have no bed to start with.
Ron and Don joined with the Seattle Police Department, plus the Seattle Police Foundation and Sleep Train, to provide more than 300 beds to children in need through the “Beds for Kids Project.”
The project was created in 2014 by Seattle Police Officers Jeremy Wade and Ryan Gallagher after the pair responded to a 911 call where they discovered two young girls had been sleeping on the floor of their home. They later returned to that same home with brand new beds, both purchased from their own pockets. The original 2016 goal of 150 beds doubled in size with the help of a $15,000 donation from Bellevue-based company OfferUp. Ron Upshaw and Don O’Neill have advocated for the project since its inception in 2014.
“Think about a kid who is 6 or 7 years old, never sleeping in a bed,” Upshaw said. “This will be the first time they ever have their own bed. That’s a big deal for a kid, so I’m very proud to be a partner of this really great event.”
Semi-trucks filled with the mattresses, box springs, sheet sets, comforters, and pillows were delivered to the SPD, with 100 percent of the mattresses donated by The Dream Bed, a bed-in-a-box brand with a greater purpose of improving sleeping conditions around the world with its buy one, give one model. On Saturday, selected families from around the state received the new beds so their children will finally be able to sleep in a bed they can call their own.
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