With one ominous exception, the numeral 6 is not prominent in the Christian scriptures.
Even so, it is a number rich in meaning for John Almond and his faith-based ministry headquartered in Columbus.
In 2018, Almond, a retired Arizona businessman who moved to Columbus 10 years ago, felt moved to exercise his faith through service to those in need in his community. He didn’t have a clue how or what to do, however.
“I’m an old white guy,” he realized. “What do I know?”
As he was pondering that question, he happened to hear of an organization called the Dream Center, a nationwide faith-based organization dedicated to helping the underprivileged whose motto is, “Find a need, fill it. Find a hurt, heal it.”
He was so intrigued by the organization that he traveled to the Dream Center’s headquarters in Los Angeles, spending a week as a volunteer and getting to know its operations.
One of the strategies employed by The Dream Center was an “adopt a block” program, so when Almond returned to Columbus, he headed to Memphistown, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Columbus, to see what the needs were.
That’s where the numeral 6 comes in.
“I just started knocking on doors,” Almond said, “just trying to find out what the people needed.”
Nothing came to mind until he knocked on the sixth door.
What he saw there seemed like an epiphany.
“There was a woman there with two kids, ages 4 and 7,” Almond recalled. “There was a sofa with no upholstery left on it and two folding metal chairs. That was it. There was no other furniture. She and her children were sleeping on the floor. That’s when it hit me: I knew what I could do.”
Almond began to do some research. When he learned that more than 2,000 children in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties were without beds, he had the idea he had been looking for. At that moment, Bedz4Kidz was born.
“All this time, I didn’t have two nickels to rub together,” Almond said. “But there’s a saying: Money follows ministry. Get out and do something.”
Seed money, support arrives
In the three years since Almond knocked on that sixth door, he has assembled a team of volunteers — including Jason Ebert, who Almond calls “the brains of the outfit,” who is in charge of building the beds; and Jason and Elle Wills, who operate the website and handle marketing.
“We’ve placed 118 beds so far,” Almond said. “But we’re just getting started. The need is so great.”
Each pre-fabricated bed or bunk bed is assembled at the home of the recipient. The ministry also provides new mattresses, pillows, bed linens and covers. The total cost is $175 per bed.
The Columbus Dream Center is not affiliated with any specific church, although it draws heavily on the support of several area churches. Other organizations such as the Lowndes County Foundation, which helped kick-start the program; Flexx Chiropractic, which donated $9,000 for bedding; and 4-County Electric Power Association, have helped, too.
Meanwhile, Ebert’s employer, Barge Forest Products in Macon, provides lumber at a discount and Alliance Furniture Outlet in Columbus provides the twin mattresses at wholesale prices.
One of the biggest new developments allows beds to be built off-site.
“We got an $8,500 grant from 4-County, and we used that money to buy a trailer and tools so we can build at sponsors’ sites,” Ebert said. “We had a built in Macon, sponsored by Calvary Baptist Church, a couple of weeks ago and built 21 beds.”
Ebert said the mobile builds are comparable to the Habitat for Humanity concept.
“We’d really like to get local industries involved by having them sponsor a build,” Ebert said. “We come to their site and they provide the volunteers and have a build there.”
The build in Macon was the first outside of Lowndes County, the first of many, Almond hopes.
“We hope to expand into Oktibbeha County and Clay County as soon as we can,” Almond said.
Dream Center is working with Child Protective Services to identify children who need beds.
“It’s not only about beds sometimes,” Ebert said. “Sometimes, it’s something that keeps families together. In home inspections, if CPS sees that a child doesn’t have a bed, that child can be removed from the home. It’s a serious situation.”
Almond is grateful for the support the Dream Center has received, but he admits the need still dwarfs the supply.
“We need all the support we can get,” he said. “Financially, yes, but we also want to get the community involved — churches, businesses, civic groups — through sponsoring builds and participating that way. I think there’s something very powerful about being a part of these builds.”
Before moving to Columbus, Almond, 71, lived in Tucson, Arizona, for 45 years. While there, he ministered to members of the Tohono O’odham tribe of Native Americans.
“Very poor,” Almond said. “We’re talking about homes with dirt floors, poverty of the worst kind. But I can tell you this: There are places right here in the Golden Triangle where the poverty is just as bad, maybe even worse.”
Anyone interested in joining the Dream Center’s Bedz4Kidz program can call Almond at 662-889-5558. To learn more about the Columbus Dream Center, visit dreamcenterms.org.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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