Hope to Dream and Ashley Donate 55 Beds to FFTP’s Angels Of Hope Program
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2024) – Fifty children and teenagers living in two Angels Of Hope (AOH) group homes supported by Food For The Poor (FFTP) in Haiti are now sleeping in comfortable beds, thanks to the generosity of Hope to Dream and Ashley.
Hope to Dream, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, provides beds and bedding to children in need between the ages of 3 and 16 who are part of a low-income family, live in poverty, or are transitioning from being homeless. Now in its 13th year, the organization has donated more than 165,000 beds to children and is expanding its reach beyond North America.
“Every child should have their own bed so they can sleep better and grow up healthier,” said Ruthie Bautista, Vice President of Hope to Dream. “We are delighted to extend our support to children in the care of Food For The Poor’s Angels Of Hope child sponsorship program.”
With the support of donors and AOH sponsors, FFTP is providing life-changing assistance to nearly 7,000 children in 130 group homes in Latin America and the Caribbean. Children come to the program from different family backgrounds, with some being placed in the homes by local governing authorities because of alleged neglect or abuse, while others are orphaned or abandoned with no relatives able to care for them.
“Our Angels Of Hope child sponsorship program provides care for the most vulnerable children, who might otherwise have no other place to go,” said Ed Raine, FFTP President/CEO. “Getting ample sleep is important for all children, especially the children we support, as it is a time for restoration and building the resiliency they need for their physical and mental health. We are deeply grateful to Hope to Dream and Ashley furniture for their very generous donation.”
Getting the beds to the homes in Haiti proved challenging because of the ongoing struggles with civil unrest and gang violence. As such, FFTP does not provide the location of the homes or the full names of the children and staff who live and work there.
Once the beds were safely delivered, the children were overjoyed and eager to help assemble them.
“When we received these new beds, the children were happy, excited, jumping, and shouting,” AOH Home Manager Johanne said. “They even kissed the mattresses of the beds – that’s how eager they were – because they had been waiting for it for a long time.”
Each child received a twin mattress, bedframe, bedding, and a pillow – everything they need to sleep in comfort and wake up refreshed.
“The new beds are very important because they allow the children to rest well after a tiring day,” AOH Home Administrator Samuel said. “It is at night when they gather the energy to face another new day.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
Hope to Dream believes that every child deserves a good night’s sleep. Founded in 2010 on that guiding principle, the Hope to Dream organization provides beds to children in need across the U.S. and Canada. Every mattress purchased from a participating Ashley retail location helps Hope to Dream fulfill its mission to provide every child with a good night’s sleep. Since inception, more than 165,000 children have received a brand-new bed. Those wishing to nominate a child can visit ahopetodream.com or visit a local Ashley store for more information.
To see a video about the gift, please click here.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]