The pastor of the Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Perry, Rev. Jeremy Winter, spoke to the Perry Kiwanis Club Tuesday at their weekly luncheon in the Hotel Pattee.
Winter, a member of the Perry Kiwanians, discussed the origin and development of the new Sleep Space project at Mount Olivet.
The Sleep Space project began when a number of school staff members who attend Mount Olivet noticed that many children in the Perry school system do not have bedding or even beds but sleep on couches or floors. Some children do not have blankets to cover wrap up in on cold days, and in some cases their homes do not have any heat.
The Sleep Space project was intended mainly to provide bedding for children but has also has provided mattresses and even a crib, Winter said.
Winter reported this project had received a $5,000 grant from the recently created 100 Plus People for Perry and has also received another $1,000 in donations. One of their first purchases was from a local retail store that was having a bedding sale. Winter said he bought four cart loads of these items for this service project.
Stokley Lumber Co. in Perry donated the lumber used to build shelving to store the bedding, he said.
Winter said the Sleep Space is available to the public from 3-5 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month.
