MATTRESSES:©I ©ISTOCK; BED: NOUN PROJECT
influencer.
SLEEP AID
the group providing beds for North Texans in need WORDS
SYDNEY BLALOCK RITCHIE
T
HE HOLIDAY SEASON IS A TIME FOR GRATITUDE. We’re grateful for our family, our friends, our home. During a year of quarantine, we’ve been thankful for beautiful days that let us enjoy nature, time for a leisurely cocktail on the patio, the amazing work of our kids’ teachers (can I get an amen?). But have you ever thought to be grateful just to have a bed? For many in DFW, that’s actually a luxury. We spoke to Doug Nickols, founder and director of Bed Start—a nonprofit organization based in Collin County that provides beds for those in need—about just how important it is to have a place to lay your head. What are the origins of Bed Start? Bed Start began out of a church ministry. I left an overworked corporate leadership job, had a truck and trailer, and found an unmet need in the community. [The first family we served was] a single mom with three children—one terminally dfwchild.com / december 2020
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