Sleep Country USA sponsors Pajama Drive
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, June 23, 2008
SEATTLE — To help foster children sleep better, retailer Sleep Country USA sponsored its first ever Pajama Drive.
The company, which conducts six drives a year to help fill the material needs of foster kids and their foster parents, took in 7,039 pairs of pajamas in the recent effort. Contributions came from individuals, families, companies and even children who asked for pajama donations in lieu of gifts at their birthday parties.
“We are thrilled to be able to share this success with our foster children and their foster families,” said David Swendseid of Trillium Family Services, a provider of services to Northwest children and families.
“Foster children can enter foster care with just the clothing on their backs, and given that our foster families usually provide care for more than one child, having resources to purchase new clothing is a challenge,” he said. “New items, even those as simple as pajamas, provide an incredible relief to the parents and invite a sense of belonging for the child.”
“The enormous success of our Pajama Drive during its very first year exceeded our expectations,” said Terry Horsley, Sleep Country USA's vice president of brand strategy. “The generosity of our communities continues to amaze us as individuals of all ages and companies of every size taking action to provide for local foster children.”
In the past three years, Sleep Country USA's drives have yielded more than 117,000 donated items for foster families. After the Pajama Drive, the retailer accepted donations of new shoes at its stores..
