Donated bed frames bring comfort to Green Bay shelters

WBAY-TV Online November 30, 2022

By Emily Roberts

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - People using shelters across Green Bay are going to be a little more comfortable this holiday season.

Wisconsin-based company KI donated more than 70 bed frames to three non-profit organizations, including St. John’s Ministries.

“The sobriety room where these beds are going provides our male guests with forward movement. A chance to work on themselves. To be better as they take that next step toward self-sufficiency,” Director of Community Engagement Steve Schauer said. “This is just one of the steps to get one of our guests to become sober and eventually employed and housed on their journey to success.”

St. John’s usually houses around 70 men each night, plus 30 more people at the women’s shelter.

The shelter has mattresses... but not always the bed frames to get them off the floor.

“They have a nice single bed that they can lay their head down at night in warmth and know that as they’re working on themselves, there’s somebody, KI and the community that’s taking care of them,” Schauer continued.

“What we want to do is have food, shelter and clothing for them so that they can get on their feet... get the supports they need to move on,” Case Manager Tollef Wienke said.

Workers at KI’s Manitowoc facility made the donation possible.

“I think it’s the right thing to do for the community. KI is community focused and the community has been really good to KI over the years. This is just a way to give back,” KI Operations Manager John Schwartz explained. “Every organization that we’ve worked with has been great. The directors have been great bending over backwards for us. It’s been a partnership.”

KI’s work is just getting started. They still have dozens of beds to deliver to shelters across Green Bay:

St. John’s Ministries - 32 beds, Nov. 30
NEW Community Shelter - 28 beds, Dec. 1
Foundations Health & Wholeness - 12 beds, Dec. 2

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