Spreading their wings
‘Help Tuck Them In’ delivers 49 beds to fire victims in California
For more than a year, handmade beds have been crafted and delivered to needy families in Tracy, Marshall and Walnut Grove, just to name a few through the Tracy Lions “Help Tuck Them In” project.
Thanks to the commitment from the likes of Tracy Lions Joe Buyck, Lori Alf, Greg Holland and George Erbes — along with a legion of eager volunteers — 49 bed frames, along with mattresses, sheets and other bedtime necessities, made their way in a semi trailer to San Pedro, CA, from the Erbes farm just south of Tracy.
The 27-hour, nearly 1,800-mile sojourn to the fire-ravaged state began last Thursday, but the real journey began in March when Alf reached out to a West Coast friend after being prompted by an Extension group from Garvin.
“A very good friend of mine lives in San Diego, and she reached out to the fire chief there; she was neighbors with him and he got me the contact for the L.A. Fire Department,” Alf said.
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All of the headaches were worth it if we can get even half of these beds to children in Los Angeles.
— LORI ALF “They got me to the L.A. communications people, and that led to the Global Empowerment Mission. It was 62 emails and 14 phone calls.”
The people on the receiving end are in the process of having permanent replacement homes found for them. Once they get placed in a residence, they will receive their bed(s). They are currently living in hotels or shelters.
“That’s the second phase for them — getting them into permanent residences,” said Alf. “Going into California, there were a lot of issues.”
Alf said the trucking company needed to know the dimension of each pallet, and the height and weight of each, along with how long each pallet was. In the end, all the rigamarole was worth it. “We did it for the kids,” said Alf. “All of the headaches were worth it if we can get even half of these beds to children in Los Angeles.”
Quite an undertaking for a group of small-town do-gooders.
“If Des Moines has a tornado that takes out 20 houses, will we send beds out there? We might,” Erbes said.
“Help Tuck Them In” now has to pay for the beds; the lumber and stain is no longer being donated. Things like sheets, comforters and pillows are still all donated, Alf said. One Lion member recently purchased 15 mattresses and donations continue to be welcomed.
“People still believe in this project,” Alf said. “I don’t even think we’ve touched the surface. The support is what has really amazed us. I don’t ever turn down a donation.”
The beds also included small placards with the name of deceased Lions members etched into them.
The Lions recently received an international award for their work, but Alf maintains that’s not what anyone’s goal was.
“My greatest reward is that kid who hugs you,” said Alf.
“I think this is a great thing to these kids,” Buyck said. “That’s what this project is all about, whether the kids are from Mankato, California, Tracy. We were gonna stay local, yes, but I think this is a good reach for us.”
