LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — In Ohio, and across the country, volunteers are joining a growing nonprofit on a mission to make sure every child in America has a bed to sleep in.

The demand for those beds continues to grow at an alarming rate, said Mike Watkins, for Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s chapter in Butler County. He said they currently have more than 50 requests for beds and in the past four years, the nonprofit has built and delivered more than two thousand beds to kids across the area.

Watkins works with a variety of volunteers and groups in building the beds, from rotary clubs and hospitals to high school sports teams and service clubs.

"We bring all the tools and everything that’s needed," said Watkins. "We buy the lumber and have it delivered, and then we show all the volunteers basically how to do it."

Watkins says no experience is necessary.

"By the end of the day, they're experts at building beds," he said.

"I learned how to use a sander for the first time and I learned how they stain the wood," said Mason Lovy, a student from Lebanon. He also learned a real-world lesson about the haves and have-nots.

“It’s great work they’re doing, and it’s something I never really thought about,” Lovy said. “I think it’s a great idea.”

Besides a twin bed, volunteers for the nonprofit also bring families a brand new mattress, sheets, comforter and pillows, said Eileen Watkins, Mike's wife and fellow volunteer coordinator.

"They get everything they need and we can always use donations of comforters and other bedding items," she said.

The Watkins family recruits volunteers to help put the beds together when they deliver them to the homes of the kids in need. Some of the best workers come from Baden High School, Watkins said.

“It really feels great,” said Nate Marischen, a student-athlete at Baden. “I’ve been on many deliveries and when the kids are there and they walk into the room for the first time and they see a bed that they’ve never slept on in their entire life, it’s really a heartwarming moment."

Mike Watkins said his family sleeps a bit easier, knowing that their deliveries are bringing a good night's sleep to those who need it. 

“I live so close to this house especially and to know that I have a bed and everything to sleep on and these kids don’t really makes me grateful,” Marischen said. 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace relies on donations and volunteers. 

“If we’re not trying to help somebody else, then what’s the point?" Watkins said. "It’s about people helping people. If we get everybody involved doing it, maybe things’ll be a little bit better.”     

To apply on behalf of a child in need of a bed, apply on the nonprofit's website.