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Some assembly required: Amazon volunteers help build beds at Westside Emergency Housing Center
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Who are you going to call when you need 60 beds assembled in the span of two days? Well, if you’re the Westside Emergency Housing Center, you’re calling neighbors down the road at the Albuquerque Amazon Distribution Center.
“We reached out to Amazon and let them know about the need that we had in our community, and they jumped on as soon as we told them about the bed- building event,” said Rachael Hernandez, homeless public outreach/volunteer coordinator for the Health, Housing and Homelessness Department.
Within a day of reaching out, Hernandez said, Amazon committed to building the beds — new ones purchased by the city and funded by Bernalillo County — over two days. The city will be able to purchase new beds for the entire shelter thanks to the funding.
Roughly 20 Amazon volunteers worked at a quick pace to construct the new beds. “Super proud to be here at the Westside Shelter because they’re our neighbors and we want to make an impact on the community,” said Matt Doyle, a senior human resources manager at Amazon.
The new twin-size beds are designed to be larger, more durable and comfortable and pest resistant, and each will have its own lockable storage container.
The beds were constructed inside a dorm that has been renovated by the city at the shelter. The renovations included new flooring, lighting, paint and lighting fixtures. The city is planning to renovate the remaining dorms at the shelter and will add new beds to each dorm upon the completion of its renovation.
Gino Gutierrez is the good news reporter at the Albuquerque Journal. If you have an idea for a good news story, you can contact him at goodnews@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3940.
