April 12: MCC Building Beds Builds Community event aims to do just that

A volunteer event for MCC students, faculty and families, beds built will be donated to local kids in need of a bed.

MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester Community College (MCC) is holding an event called Building Beds Builds Community from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m on Saturday, April 12. Since rainy weather is expected that day, the build has been moved indoors to the Athletic & Wellness Center at Derryfield School, 1208 River Rd., Manchester (near SNHU).

The volunteer event is only open to MCC students, faculty and their families. There are a few different ways to volunteer, either by putting the beds together, making no-sew blankets, or donating and sorting clothes to give to children.

Supplies are provided by sponsors like “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” and “Delta Dental.”  Also, the Student Senate at MCC has overseen fundraising efforts to buy the food for volunteers and the T-shirts. They are also in charge of raising any extra money that is needed to buy all the bedding, mattresses, sheets, pillows, comforters, mattress pads, etc.  The beds will be donated to children in the Manchester area who are in need of a bed.

The MCC community is coming together during the event in multiple ways. For example, the student nursing program is going to be leading an indoor station which is open to volunteers who will be tasked with creating no-sew blankets to be put on the beds. Spark Academy, which is an early college program at MCC, is collecting bedding materials and pillows for the new beds. The Graphic design class at MCC also held a competition in which the best design is put on a shirt and given to volunteers. The Pass Along Project (a NH non-profit) will also be hosting a lightly used kids clothing drive and will also be sorting the donated clothes in the MCC gym as well.

This is the fifth year that this event has been going on, and each year they have looked for ways to expand and get new sponsors. Currently Aileen Clay, Director of student life at MCC, is trying to get a lumber yard to donate lumber for the beds. If they can find a lumber yard to donate materials, they will be able to build more beds for cheaper, which will allow them to expand. Clay, who is also the event organizer, thinks it is very important to expand to rural parts of NH as she mentioned there is a greater need for beds there than in Manchester.

There is also free lunch after the event for every volunteer.

Jared Bekkering is a journalism student at MCC.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the student author and do not reflect the opinions or endorsements of any affiliated or mentioned high school or college.

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