By Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is pleased to welcome Sweet Dream Makers to our Grantee Blog. Sweet Dream Makers is a Palm Beach, Florida-based nonprofit focused on improving the health and well-being of children and families by providing beds, bedding, and essential furniture at no cost. Through the A Bed of My Own® program, Sweet Dream Makers partners with more than one hundred organizations across the South Florida region to eliminate bedlessness in their community. Since 2017, Sweet Dream Makers has provided over 37,000 beds with bedding to families living in South Florida.
Courtesy of Sweet Dream Makers
Where does a dream begin?
For many children, it begins in the quiet comfort of a room where they feel safe. It begins under fresh sheets, with a pillow of their own, after a good night’s rest. It begins when they wake up ready for school, ready to play, ready to learn, and ready to imagine what might be possible.
At Sweet Dream Makers, we believe every child deserves that beginning.
Our work began in response to an overwhelming community need: children and families across Palm Beach County were living without safe or adequate sleeping arrangements. Some children were sleeping on the floor. Others were sharing beds with siblings or parents, sleeping on sofas, or resting in broken or unsanitary conditions. What may seem like a simple household item to some is, for many families, one of the hardest essentials to access. A mattress is not often available at a thrift store, donated through a local drive, or easily found through a school, church, or community network.
That gap is part of a hidden form of poverty known as bed poverty. It affects families already making impossible choices between rent, childcare, groceries, transportation, and other basic needs. And for children, the consequences can reach far beyond bedtime. Without consistent, healthy sleep, children may struggle with concentration, behavior, physical health, emotional well-being, and school performance.
A bed does more than help a child sleep. It gives them comfort, dignity, security, and the chance to wake up stronger.
Through A Bed of My Own, Sweet Dream Makers provides brand-new beds and bedding at no cost to children and families experiencing bed poverty. Our online referral platform allows partner organizations, including case managers, program staff, administrators, and first responders, to refer families 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. From there, our program team reviews each referral, gathers any additional information needed, connects directly with the family, and arranges delivery based on their specific needs.
The process is practical, efficient, and deeply personal. Every bed represents a family being seen, heard, and supported at a moment when one basic need can make a meaningful difference.
Since 2017, Sweet Dream Makers has helped thousands of children and families across South Florida. Today, we work with a network of more than 200 local social service agencies to identify families in need. In 2026, we expect to deliver 3,500 beds in Palm Beach County alone, with approximately 80% of the beds we deliver going to children and youth.
The need continues to grow. According to the Florida ALICE Report, 46% of Palm Beach County households fall below the ALICE Threshold, meaning they are living in poverty or are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. More than half of Palm Beach County’s children live in households experiencing financial hardship. These families are working hard, raising children, and doing everything they can to stay afloat, yet the cost-of-living crisis continues to place basic essentials out of reach.
For a child without a bed, receiving one can change the rhythm of an entire household.
Parents tell us their children sleep through the night for the first time. They describe calmer mornings, better focus, improved behavior, and a new sense of pride when a child chooses their own bedding and sees their room transformed. A bed becomes a place to rest, but also a place to feel ownership, comfort, and belonging.
As one mother shared after receiving beds for her children, “I honestly don’t even know where to begin to say thanks. I am a mother of five beautiful children and I work very hard. Teaching and molding my children to be good like you. I’m blessed to have been able to receive these beds and bedding. Thank you for being the people that have a heart to do these things. Honestly, I cannot say it enough. I’m truly blessed and one day I will pay it forward! Thank you.”
That spirit is at the heart of Sweet Dream Makers. We are not only delivering beds. We are helping families restore rest, dignity, and peace of mind. We are helping children wake up ready for the day ahead. And we are working toward a future where no child has to sleep on the floor because their family could not access something as essential as a bed.
Where does a dream begin?
Sometimes, it begins with a mattress, a pillow, a set of sheets, and a community that believes every child deserves a safe place to close their eyes and wake up to possibility.
About Sweet Dream Makers
Sweet Dream Makers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is focused on improving the health and well-being of children and families by providing beds, bedding, and essential furniture at no cost. Through the A Bed of My Own® program, Sweet Dream Makers partners with more than one hundred organizations across the South Florida region to eliminate bedlessness in our community. Since 2017, Sweet Dream Makers has provided over 37,000 beds with bedding to families living in South Florida.
For more information about Sweet Dream Makers and the “A Bed of My Own®” program, visit www.sweetdreammakers.org.