One House at a Time
Ending Child Bedlessness in Greater Philadelphia

March Newsletter
In this Issue: What's Happening

What's New | Where to Donate

The world around us sure looks different than it did last March! As we reflect upon this past year, we can't help but be grateful for the support of this community. It is only through the help of our volunteers and donors that we can continue to deliver the Beds for Kids program.

Deliveries are still contactless, but the impact of your generosity is still felt every time a child sleeps on his or her bed; quite often the first bed of their very own. We will continue to provide warmth, comfort, and the health benefits of a good night's sleep, and it is all thanks to you!

- Team OHAAT

What's Happening?

Join Us Tonight! One Night. Two locations.

Monday, March 22, 2021 | 5:00-9:00 PM

Dine in, dine out, or take out from P.J. Whelihan’s Blue Bell or Horsham, and let them know you’re supporting Beds for Kids when you order! Portions from your meal will go directly to our program.

P.J. Whelihan's Blue Bell

799 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422

RSVP Here

P.J. Whelihan's Horsham

101 Easton Rd, Horsham, PA 19044

RSVP Here

What's New at Ohaat?

OHAAT Named Great Nonprofit

We have been honored with one of the first Top-Rated Awards of 2020 from GreatNonprofits.

"Delivering new beds (and associated items) to needy children is a wonderful and truly fulfilling experience. The kids are so excited and happy that it is impossible not to feel that excitement and happiness yourself. And the parents are so grateful." Volunteer Barry Muth.

Click here to view more of the kind reviews from our volunteers!

2020 Giving Update

We cannot thank our friends in the community enough for your generous support during a very challenging time! So many of you saw the need, and stepped up to personally ensure Beds for Kids could continue to serve children sleeping in less-than-ideal condition, all during world-wide health crisis.

From gifts in honor of a loved one, to a global day of giving in December, to holiday gifts that were delayed into the new year due to the overload on the postal system, "thank you" just isn’t enough to show our gratitude. As we move forward in delivering warmth and comfort to children each week, we do so with thankFULL hearts.

Volunteer Spotlight

Julianne S., Retired Teacher & Librarian

Julianne S. first learned about OHAAT through a donation drive in September 2020. After donating some gently used books, she reached out to us about safe volunteer options during this time of uncertainty. A retired teacher and librarian, Julianne has been using her knowledge of and passion for literature to help us sort through book donations, and package them by age to go to our Beds for Kids program children and young adults. She has been safely doing so, lovingly creating book packages from home, for the last six months.

Early on, Julianne recognized that the books donated to OHAAT don’t always have characters that reflect each of the populations that we serve. She felt that children of all races and backgrounds deserve to see themselves in the stories and pages that are gifted to them. Julianne has helped to identify many beautiful, diverse, and award winning titles that have been added to our wishlists. Thank you, Julianne, for your many hours of dedication to Beds for Kids, and for broadening our book packets to be more inclusive!

60+ New Beds in Kensington

Helping the Needy (HTN), a ministry of St. Alphonsus Parish, funded over 60 beds last holiday season for children living in poverty. These wonderful children are now sleeping on their own bed, some for the very first time! HTN is going into their fourth year as a referral partner of OHAAT, and they have already begun to identify and support more children in need. Thank you HTN for your partnership!

“My children are very happy with everything.
 
My daughter has already read all her books! We are so grateful!!”

Thank You!

At a time when the cost of the items we provide has drastically increased, we are so grateful for the community’s support! From foundation funding, to gifts from community organizations, to individual gifts, we could not continue to our mission without you.

We were honored to receive a grant from the Bucks County COVID-19 Recovery Fund this past winter! The fund was established by United Way of Bucks County with additional funding from Penn Community Bank. Bucks County COVID-19 Recovery Fund provided financial assistance to nonprofits like ours so that we can continue to serve our community.

The Beds for Kids program recently received a generous grant from Foundations Community Partnership. This grant will provide beds and bedtime essentials for 25 children living below the poverty threshold in Bucks County! Thank you so much to everyone at FCP for your ongoing support.

Friends of the Mighty Writers El Futuro program in Kennett Square have pulled together to fund nearly 20 beds and bunk beds in their area so far this year! Thank you to the Chester County community for going above and beyond for the families you serve. Mighty Writers is a non profit organization focusing on helping kids to write and read with clarity and - through the El future program - to embrace their native language

This month, Delegate Eric Baumgardner delivered a gift from Carpenters Union Local #167 to OHAAT Executive Director, Kate Fay. Thank you to Bucks, Montgomery, and Lehigh County carpenters for supporting our mission!

Other organizations who have provided much needed funding include Newtown Presbyterian Church, Ephrata National Bank, and the iCare Ministry of CrossWay Community Church.

Local Support

We had such an amazing response to our call for support on Martin Luther King Day of Service 2021!

Click here to see more.

Thank you to SUEZ North America Trevose employees for supporting the Beds for Kids Program by shopping our Amazon Smile wishlist this past holiday season! How wonderful to picture these comfy blankets and sheets helping to create a space of a child's very own. SUEZ employees also recently held a no-sew blanket making project, and built several bedtime bags full of even more bedding, books, toothbrushes and more!

Temple University Ambler recently donated a great amount of new stuffed animals in Temple shirts! We love sending these out to possible future Owls.

Children's academic success and personal health are proven to improve with a good night's sleep!

Cub Scout Pack 577, Willow Grove, made over 20 no-sew fleece blankets as well as collecting blankets and pillows for children in need. We are truly grateful for their support and the warmth they provided to BFK families this past winter.

Thank you to Girl Scout Troop 7026 for sewing over 50 pillow cases and masks for the Beds for Kids program! They completed their Bronze Service Award by safely visiting our location, learning about our services, and helping to pack a bedtime bag for a girl their age.

Congratulations on your accomplishment Troop 7026!

Look at this wonderful donation drive from Abington - Jefferson Health Family Medicine! We are so grateful for their support each year with such generous donations of blankets, comforters, pillows, stuffed animals, books, tooth brushes and more! These items went straight to children’s homes to help them feel safe, cozy, and appreciated this past winter.

Thank you so much to Friends of the Horsham Library for donating lots of wonderful books for teen readers! Books for our older readers are most needed. We are so grateful for your support and know these books will make bedtime much more fun.

It's a zoo over here! Thank you to PetSmart Willow Grove and Furever Yours Pet Rescue for another very generous donation of new stuffed animals to send to their forever homes in our bedtime bags. Thank you for supporting the #BedsForKidsProgram again!

Thank you to the staff of Macy’s Willow Grove for your generous donations of new bed sheets, blankets, gently used comforters, and more!

It is only through our community partnerships that we are able to keep program costs to a minimum. Thank you for your generosity this year!

This January, a huge box from IKEA arrived, filled with stuffed animals and toys looking for new homes.

Thank you IKEA Conshohocken for your continued support of the Beds for Kids program!

Where Can I Donate?

Monetary gifts can be made online at www.ohaat.org/donate-funds. OHAAT is currently accepting donations of new/gently used twin bedding, new pillows and tooth brushes, and books for older readers (teen-adult). At this time, due to limited space, we are unable to accept donations of younger children's books or stuffed animals. Thank you for your understanding!

We have a few public donation drop off sites with flexible weekend and evening schedules as well as bringing items to our warehouse location.