BedsRus gives away beds to cyclone victims

Ian Jones (left) and Jason Henderson from Christian Lovelink unload donated mattresses from BedsRus.

Supplying beds to those in need is par for the course for community organisation Christian Lovelink. But when Cyclone Gabrielle hit, demand for its service ramped up to another level.

Having a close relationship with Napier BedsRus owners Louise Laurent and Scott Taylor has been a win-win for Christian Lovelink, with the Napier business donating all their trade-in beds to the organisation for many years.

“Scott has been great. He probably donates around 100 beds a year to us,” says Christian Lovelink operations manager Ian Jones.

Following the cyclone, BedsRus’ national office put the call out and franchisees nationwide dug deep, supplying 150 mattresses to help those in Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and Wairoa who were affected.

Ian says after the initial delivery of mattresses, they knew they needed bases too, so tapped into local cyclone relief funding and a generous donation from Louise and Scott. Ian says there has been quite a demand for the new beds, and it is being processed in two stages.

Taylors Furniture BedsRus Napier owners Louise Laurent and Scott Taylor.

“It tends to be for people finding short-term unfurnished accommodation or someone who has been completely wiped out.”

Ian says the next stage of the operation will be when homes are being repaired.

“Once people start going back into their houses, we’ll expect to get more requests.”

He says some people have moved in with families.

“Not everyone is furnished and, in some situations, it’s getting pretty tight.”

The first delivery of beds to people in Napier and Hastings went out this week. Ian says they usually help about 700 people a year with “the basics”, including beds, furniture, linen and pillows.

“This keeps on growing and with the flooding, that’s been even more. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t insured.”

They also help with the annual blanket drive where members of the public donate their surplus blankets, which are then given to those in need.

Christian Lovelink receives referrals from more than 20 social agencies, including Age Concern and Te Taiwhenua O Heretaunga.

“We have a large number of social workers and people can call us direct. The criteria for us is they need it. We don’t judge. We’re here to meet that need.”

Ian says they give away more than 400 beds a year, all donated and mostly second-hand.

“The numbers are getting a bit scary. Because of the cyclone, a lot of donations are coming into the area. Currently, we are chasing extra space. We don’t want to throw anything away because we know we’ll need it.”

Christian Lovelink is 100 per cent run by volunteers, with hours increasing by 40 per cent last year.

“We’re starting to see a demand from working families and also referrals for retired people is increasing. There’s plenty of need out there, unfortunately.”

For support or more information, phone 0800 33 33 46.