DownEast Donates Hundreds of Mattresses to Children in Need

(Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 9) – As part of an ongoing initiative, DownEast Home & Clothing, a Utah-based retailer, is donating mattresses to hundreds of children in need. In the Phoenix area, DownEast today donated 50 mattresses to Sojourner Center, providing individual beds for women and children who seek refuge at the shelter.

“This is an impactful solution for the women and children we serve,” said Carrie Borgen, executive director for Sojourner Center. “Without a good night’s sleep, children have a hard time concentrating and learning. As families transition to other living situations, children can take these beds with them and be ensured of a comfortable night’s sleep wherever they lay their heads.”

Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep – it promotes growth, reduces stress, improves emotional health, increases attention span, and boosts learning. And for children, it’s all the more important.

Sadly, thousands of children in our communities regularly go without a good night’s sleep. Whether living in shelters or “couch surfing” from friend’s home to friend’s home, their sleep is sporadic, when-you-can and where-you-can.

That’s why DownEast is donating more than 700 mattresses to children in need in seven cities over the next two weeks, during the “giving” month of November. In addition to Phoenix, donations are being made in Las Vegas, Boise, Idaho, and four cities in Utah – Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan and St. George.

“As we were developing our own line of mattresses for DownEast Home stores, we learned about the number of children going without a good night’s sleep,” said Bill Freedman, co-founder of DownEast. “It’s heartbreaking and we are committed to becoming part of the solution. We were inspired by socially responsible companies like Toms and realized we have an amazing product and can really make a difference! In partnership with our customers, we are giving those in need a mattress that works for their situation, a bed to call their own and to take wherever they spend each night. We want to give them the good night’s sleep they deserve. Rest is and should be a right.”

DownEast created the “Mattress on the Go” – a portable, washable and easy to store bed.  The lightweight, twin-size foldable mattress is infused with lavender cool-gel memory foam for comfort, and is Certipur certified for safety. It folds into thirds and has built-in handles for easy transporting, and can even convert into a small sofa or chair. It is not for sale but strictly designed for ongoing donations.

DownEast will continue its mattress donation program as a matching, one-for-one initiative. For each of its Sleep Evolution mattresses sold in one of its stores or online, the company will donate a “Mattress on the Go” to someone in need.

“It’s our goal as a company to fix sleep for those in need, and give them a better chance to succeed in life,” added Freedman.

For more information about the mattress donation program, or about DownEast, visit https://www.downeastbasics.com/pages/mattress-donations.

About DownEast

Based in Salt Lake City, DownEast began in 1991 as a family-owned and operated business to provide the very best styles at the best prices. That mission continues today with chic clothing, accessories, gifts, furniture, and bedding, from in-house designers and top national and boutique brands, all offered at low prices. At the core of DownEast’s business is the desire to give back to those in need through funding working women in Guatemala, breast cancer awareness, and providing children a good night’s sleep. www.downeastbasics.com

About Sojourner Center
Sojourner Center is one of the largest, longest-running domestic violence shelters in the United States. Sojourner Center serves thousands of women, children and pets each year through its shelter, transitional housing and community outreach programs, child development center, health care clinic and lay legal advocacy programs. For more than 40 years, through its services to victims and survivors, education and prevention efforts aimed at youth and the community, advocacy, research and leadership, Sojourner Center leads the way to a world free from domestic violence. www.sojournercenter.org