Family Promise Announces First National Night Without a Bed in Partnership with KIA Motors and Avocado Green Mattress
SUMMIT, NJ, JUNE 16, 2020 — Family Promise, the nation’s leading nonprofit addressing family homelessness, announced their First National Night Without a Bed event in partnership with KIA Motors and Avocado Green Mattress. The virtual event, which will be held on June 20, calls on participants to give up their bed for one night to raise awareness about family homelessness in America.
Each year in America, 2.5 million children experience homelessness. One in sixteen American children will experience homelessness before they reach the first grade. These children are three times more likely to be placed in special education programs, eight to nine times more likely to repeat a grade, and seven times more likely than their peers to commit suicide. The COVID-19 crisis has increased economic instability, creating an even greater risk of homelessness for American families.
“In crises such as this one, it is important that we display compassion and caring for every member of our community. While we are not able to physically come together, now is the time to show solidarity in the protection of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Claas Ehlers, chief executive officer of Family Promise.
“When the pandemic hit and shelter in place orders were issued nationwide, we thought of the country’s homeless youth population as it is difficult to shelter in place, especially when you don’t have a place to call home,” said Russell Wager, director, marketing operations, Kia Motors America. “The Night Without a Bed program is a clever way to illustrate just a small part of what the homeless youth population across the U.S. experiences on a daily basis. Kia is proud to work with Family Promise because the more people that recognize and understand how uncomfortable it must be for these children, the quicker the issue of youth homelessness will be eradicated.”
“Avocado is proud to support Family Promise’s mission. Not only are we able to do this through our unique in-kind donation program, which supplies many of their guests with like-new and organic bedding solutions, we also happily participate in initiatives like the Night Without a Bed Campaign,” said Bri Decker, sustainability and evolution lead at Avocado. “We believe that addressing pressing social concerns is just as important as tracking our environmental impact and that our partnership with Family Promise is improving the lives of families across the nation.”
More information on this event and how you can get involved in the fight against family homelessness can be found here.
ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE
Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and served more than 111,000 family members in 2019. Family Promise will change the future for 1 million children by 2030.
Currently, Family Promise is working in over 200 communities in 43 states to ensure that families experiencing homelessness have a safe place to call home and the resources they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about our emergency response efforts or to make a gift visit FamilyPromise.org
ABOUT KIA MOTORS AMERICA
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia Motors America has been the highest ranked mass market brand in initial quality for five consecutive years according to J.D. Power**, and is recognized as one of the 100 Best Global Brands by Interbrand. Kia serves as the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA and offers a complete range of vehicles sold through a network of nearly 800 dealers in the U.S., including cars and SUVs proudly assembled in West Point, Georgia.* For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.
*The Telluride, Sorento and Optima (excluding Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.
** Kia received the lowest rate of reported problems among mass market brands in the J.D. Power 2015-19 U.S. Initial Quality Studies of new vehicle owners’ experiences with their own vehicle after 90 days of ownership. Visit jdpower.com/awards for more detail
ABOUT AVOCADO
Avocado is redefining what it means to be a sustainable, ethical brand. As a Certified B Corp, their vision is as urgent as it is aspirational — a world united by sustainability and social responsibility. They practice radical transparency and a “farm-to-bedroom” approach; they co-own a latex farm, factory, and wool collective in India — from where they source and process raw materials. Mattresses are handcrafted in a Los Angeles factory that they also own. Their materials, factory, and finished products are GOTS/GOLS organic certified. Their mattresses are also GREENGUARD Gold certified for low emissions, MADE SAFE® certified, and have achieved STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® for both human and ecological safety. As a Climate Neutral® Certified business, Avocado is the world’s first mattress brand to achieve net-negative carbon emissions across its entire business scope. As long-standing members of 1% for the Planet and recipients of their inaugural Pinnacle Award, one percent of all revenue is donated to environmental nonprofits on an annual basis. Learn more at AvocadoGreenMattress.com.
Contact: Katie Coughlin
kcoughlin@familypromise.org
