St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky Awarded Grant from Charles H. Dater Foundation
Grant will support organization’s Sweet Dreams Bed Program
ERLANGER (February 06, 2024) – St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky (SVdP NKY) announced today that the organization has received a grant from the Charles H. Dater Foundation to support its Sweet Dreams Bed Program. These funds will provide children under the age of 16, adults 65 years or older, and individuals with a disability who are economically disadvantaged with a twin mattress, box springs- bed frame combo, and a mattress protector-, as well as delivery to the recipient’s home. The program especially addresses the need for a caregiver to provide a bed and a proper sleep environment when seeking custody of a child.
Families living in poverty are constantly readjusting their resources to pay for rent, utilities, and food. Coupled with potential health problems, car repairs and transportation, and other unexpected expenses, this can create barriers for those seeking adequate sleeping arrangements.
“As our Vincentian volunteers are out serving in the community, they often find children sharing beds, sleeping on couches, or even the floor, often due to a lack of room in the caregiver’s budget to purchase furniture,” said Karen Zengel, Executive Director of SVdP NKY. “For caregivers seeking custody of a child, it is required that they provide them a bed. Due to rising costs, this can be an obstacle for families who are trying to stay together. This grant from the Charles H. Dater Foundation will go a long way in helping families stay together and ensuring that children in poverty can be given a healthy sleep environment.”
According to the latest American Community Survey (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs), Kentucky has the sixth-highest poverty rate and the seventh-highest child poverty rate. As the only bed assistance program in Northern Kentucky, SVdP NKY delivered 661 beds through the Sweet Dreams Bed Program in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, with 569 of those beds going to children. The organization expects to surpass that number in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with the majority of them going to children.
For 27 years, SVdP NKY’s Sweet Dreams Bed Program has been providing beds to those who need them. When a bed request is received, the Assistance Office notifies Vincentian volunteers in the client’s community who make a home visit to evaluate their most pressing needs. Once the request is validated, a bed is delivered within 10-14 days. SVdP NKY relies on private and local foundations to support this program.
To learn more about St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky and current assistance programs, please visit www.svdpnky.org.
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About The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky through its 31 conferences provides rent and utility assistance, food, clothing and furnishing to Northern Kentuckians in need. Our mission is to lead women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering. For more information go to www.svdpnky.org.
About the Charles H. Dater Foundation
The Charles H. Dater Foundation was founded in 1985 and makes grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out projects that benefit children and focus in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services, and other community needs. The Foundation honors the memory and preserves the philanthropic commitment of Charles and his ancestors, whose hard work and business acumen over four generations provided them the opportunity to share their success with their community.
More information at www.DaterFoundation.org
