FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 23, 2026
“Pillow Pals”: St. Joseph’s Catholic School Joins Sleep in Heavenly Peace to Combat Bedlessness in Macon
MACON, GA — As part of their Lenten commitment to almsgiving, St. Joseph’s Catholic School is partnering with Sleep in Heavenly Peace Macon to collect pillows for bedless youth in Macon. St. Joseph’s students from grades 2K–5 have donated 314 pillows as of today, March 23, for the “Pillow Pals” project.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to build, assemble, and deliver high-quality beds to children and families in need. Across the nation, they have delivered 353,847 beds to children, fulfilling a need that few other organizations focus on. The organization’s motto—“No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town”—reflects its commitment to ensuring every child has a safe, comfortable place to sleep.
In Macon alone, more than 1,100 children do not currently have a bed. Since September 2024, Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s Macon chapter has delivered 605 beds to local children. St. Joseph’s Pillow Pals project serves Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s goal to deliver 500 beds in 2026.
This effort is closely aligned with St. Joseph’s commitment to its students’ virtue formation and to cultivating a community that lives out the values of the Catholic faith on both a personal and collective level. For the past two decades, the school has built a culture of virtue with the Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills Program. The program’s framework is grounded in brain biology and focuses on building character, establishing boundaries, and setting personal expectations. Integrated into each school day at St. Joseph’s, it supports students in becoming their “personal best,” an idea emphasized frequently by the school’s Interim Principal, Mr. Russell Sills.
The Pillow Pals project particularly embodies the virtues of care, cooperation, initiative, and integrity. St. Joseph’s Director of Advancement Brandie Mock stated that students proudly rallied around this cause upon learning of Macon’s bedlessness statistics. “It’s a reminder that we all have agency and ability to make an impact, no matter our age,” she said. “God calls us to serve where we are with what we have! Now, the next 301 children who receive their bed will have a pillow gifted by St. Joseph’s students.”
Tumaini Cornett, Community Outreach Liaison for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, shared mutual enthusiasm, stating that the organization is “honored to partner with St. Joseph’s Catholic School” and praising the “remarkable compassion and enthusiasm” she has seen from the students.
“Together, we are turning compassion into action and making a tangible difference—one child, one bed at a time,” Cornett said. “Because when a community rallies around its children, real change happens.”
About St. Joseph’s Catholic School
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1872, St. Joseph’s Catholic School serves approximately 200 students across grades 2K–5 in the Middle Georgia city of Macon, St. Joseph’s is dedicated to educating, nurturing, and encouraging the whole child through Gospel values. The school combines academic rigor with robust service opportunities, vibrant Catholic traditions, and intentional character development that shapes students into faithful, compassionate leaders.
