Morris Furniture Co. Helps Kids Get Beds

October 15, 2015  by in Community / Charitable Support, Furniture Retailing, Industry   

Every time the Buckeyes earn a first down, Ashley Furniture HomeStore and The Better Sleep Shop of Columbus, Ohio, will donate $200 to the First Downs for Mattresses fund benefiting the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio. 

Since the kickoff of the 2015 season, the retailer has already donated $26,000 based on the Buckeyes 130 first downs through the Oct. 10 game, said Robert Klaben, vice president of sales and marketing for Morris Furniture Co., the licensee for the Ashley Furniture HomeStore locations in Columbus, Ohio, and Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

The First Downs for Mattresses program is a collaboration with Morris Furniture Co. and the company’s Ashley Furniture HomeStore locations. The program is licensed by Ohio State University. Former Buckeyes Craig Krenzel and Matt Finkes are spokesmen for the partnership.

"Providing relief from poverty is the foundation of a great society,” Finkes said. “Through individual and corporate donations, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Central Ohio families by providing them with the basis to strengthen their family units.” 

The money will provide new mattresses to children in Central Ohio who currently don’t have a bed of their own or are sleeping on the floor. A good night’s sleep is just as vital to children as food and drink. Healthy sleep positively affects neurological development and appears to aid in the prevention of many learning and behavioral problems.  

Larry Klaben, president and CEO of Morris said all children deserve a safe, comfortable bed.

“That’s why Morris Furniture Co. is honored to partner with the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio to help children receive a warm, cozy bed that's all their own,” he said. “We believe in ‘Making Homes Great’ in the communities where we live and work. To an underprivileged child, a new bed can make a world of difference.” 

The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio works to stabilize living situations for area families struggling with poverty and other life challenges.

“The Furniture Bank is a unique and collaborative nonprofit organization that works with individuals, businesses, social services agencies and churches to help people struggling with poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, unemployment and other severe life crises,” said Steve Votaw, president of the bank. “We collect and build furniture and then work with agency partners to distribute furniture to families.”