Comfortable queen-size replaces couple's makeshift bed

NeighbourLink client Jennifer Cox stands in front of a stack
of mattresses in our warehouse. These mattresses will soon
be in the homes of Calgarians who are in desperate need
of beds without expensive price tags attached.

Milk crates. They have a variety of uses aside from carrying cartons.

One pregnant, single mother was using a milk crate as a stool in her empty apartment when NeighbourLink’s truck pulled up with a house-full of furniture last summer.

Another client-family, Jennifer Cox and husband Patrick, were using several in place of their futon frame for two whole years.

“We were sleeping on a 10 year old futon [mattress] on top of milk crates,” explains Jennifer.

To make matters worse, Patrick suffers from a severe degenerative back condition – the result of a car accident that happened several years ago.

“It was just aggravating his condition even more,” she says - until this past February.

After being referred by Closer to Home’s West Central Resource Centre, Jennifer and Patrick were able to get a free memory foam posturepedic queen-size bed from NeighbourLink.

“It’s increased our quality of life literally to a degree that I can’t even imagine,” says Jennifer.

Patrick is now sleeping through the night without nearly as much tossing or turning, she adds, and it has improved his pain management too.

Their old milk crates have been relocated temporarily to the balcony - most will get thrown out, though she says a couple of them might be kept for their intended use: storage.