Church Youth Assemble Sleeping Bags for Homeless

Young single adults of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently assembled 150 sleeping bags to be given to the homeless on the streets of Perth. In a city famous for its abundance of sunshine, the homeless are often ill-prepared for the coming winter months.

Michelle and Graham Dunlop began helping the homeless eight years ago and have become known as “street friends” to the homeless in Perth. Wanting to do something to help those without a warm place to sleep, they discovered a video of a woman who makes sleeping bags out of water-repellent insulated foil, and they knew they had the solution.

They connected with the local office of an Australian insulation company, CSR Bradford, which donated rolls of foil for the project. Young Church volunteers from the Perth region eagerly joined the effort. Working together on Saturday morning 2nd April, they cheerfully assembled 150 sleeping bags.

Ryan Steel, state manager for CSR Bradford, said he was “inspired by Michelle’s drive to help homeless people in Perth. It is rare to find someone who sees a problem and does something about it without thought of personal gain. That’s why I jumped at the chance for our business to contribute.”

As one participant in the project stated, “Assembling this sleeping bag, it dawned on me that this is not only someone’s bedding but their home. It made me really appreciate what I have, and I put extra care into what I was doing. It was extremely rewarding to do something that benefits the community in such a positive way.”