In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, many bedding retailers, manufacturers and suppliers have offered monetary aid and bedding donations to those left devastated by the record-breaking flood that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast at the end of August.

Here’s a quick look at the generosity a few stores and companies have shown:

• Gallery Furniture: While Hurricane Harvey was raining down on Houston, Jim McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture in the Bayou City, opened two locations as shelters for storm victims, housing hundreds of people who made good use of the stores’ mattresses, recliners and sofa sleepers. The retailer teamed with other businesses to feed guests in the stores’ dining rooms and started a drive for cleaning supplies as people returned to their homes. McIngvale, better known as Mattress Mack, has a long history of charitable efforts, and residents have started a petition—with more than 200,000 signatures as of Sept. 20—to have Aug. 26 declared Mattress Mack Day in the city.
• Mattress Firm: Houston-based Mattress Firm launched a slew of initiatives to assist employees and area residents affected by Hurricane Harvey. The mega retailer assisted employees with food, shelter, disaster pay and other types of compensation. It also created an employee assistance fund and put in the first $25,000. Other employees and members of the public from around the country are invited to contribute, and Mattress Firm is matching donations up to $100,000. Mattress Firm also donated $1 million worth of pillows, blankets and mattresses to Houston residents who lost their homes, among other efforts.
• PureCare: Sleep accessories supplier PureCare, with headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey, donated 500 packages of sleep essentials to families affected by the flooding in the Houston area. The care packages include mattress encasements, pillows, sheets and sleep masks. The company’s donations have a retail value of $500,000.
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  Mary Best
  Editor in Chief

  Tempur Sealy: Lexington, Kentucky-based Tempur Sealy International Inc. pledged about $2.5 million in bed donations and charitable contributions to support the recovery efforts following hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Sealy and Tempur-Pedic mattresses are being given to those rebuilding their homes and their lives, the company said in a news release. The mattress manufacturing major also is working with its longtime partner Good360, a nonprofit that coordinates donations between donor companies and local agencies working directly with those in need.

Is your store helping victims recover from recent natural disasters (hurricanes, the Western fires in the United States, Mexican earthquakes, etc.)? If so, Sleep Savvy wants to know. Email me at mbest@sleepproducts.org to share your efforts to aid those in need.