That’s because when they lay their heads down at night, it is on new pillows and mattresses.

The Beacon recently purchased 54 new mattresses from American Bedding. The need came into focus after the shelter experienced a bout with bed bugs in July.

Steve Roe, the Beacon’s executive director, didn’t waste time tackling the problem. He treated the building with with diatomaceous earth and other remedies that month.

Ultimately, the bugs were dealt with, but it uncovered a problem that hadn’t really been addressed in 11 years — old beds and bedding.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
The dorms at the Beacon of Hope Men's Shelter have all new mattresses and bedding thanks to generous donations from the community. The shelter opted for new beds after experiencing problems with bed bugs in recent months.

“I wondered what good is going to come out of this mess,” Roe recalled. “Well, what good did come out of it? It was something we needed. Our beds were made of wood and falling apart. So by getting bed bugs it forced us to say, ‘We need to do this.'”

Roe didn’t wait for all of the needed funding to order the beds. He ordered them almost immediately.

“I ordered the new beds right away,” he said. “We couldn’t go any longer with the stuff we had.”

Then, in the coming weeks, organizations like 100 Women Who Care came forward with donations to support the effort. On Wednesday, an anonymous donor informed Roe that another $15,000 would be coming the shelter’s way. The total cost for the beds was right at $30,000, Roe said.

In addition to the mattresses, the shelter also purchased all new bedding.

“We got all new pillows, all new blankets, fitted sheets which we have never had before,” Roe said. “We have never had anything new before, it’s always been donated stuff.

“There’s lots and lots of people who donated new bedding. I feel bad there’s no way I can get them all thanked except through you guys (Messenger) and Facebook and stuff. We were getting boxes of bedding almost daily from Target or whatever. It was amazing to see the community come alongside us and help us out.”

Since Aug. 26, the residents have been sleeping in their new beds.

Brian Guy has been a resident at the Beacon since March. He’s certainly noticed a difference in the quality of sleep.

“It’s more comfortable,” he said. “And you don’t have to worry about splinters.”

There hasn’t been any sign of bed bugs at the shelter since late July.

“Throughout the whole time, I think we had five guys that got bit,” Roe said.

For Roe, the ordeal was a reminder that something good can come out of a bad situation. And the good was made possible through not only monetary donations but people throughout the community who donated time.

“We had people show up to help us unload the semi and people helping put beds together,” Roe said. “Overhead Door brought their forklift and actually hooked up chains to the pallets and pulled them from the front of the truck to the back of the truck and were able to unload them for us. It would have been very difficult if it wasn’t for all the people who helped and volunteered.”