Bunk Beds Made by Hand, and With Faith, For Hudson Valley Families

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Five families in the Hudson Valley now have places for their children to rest their heads thanks to a service program of Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries (CYFM) in Garrison.

Six families participated in a weekend retreat and outreach program from Friday through Sunday, Oct. 23-25, constructing bunk beds for families that needed them for their kids.

Seven bunk beds were built. Each bed will be delivered to a family complete with mattresses, sheets and a blanket.

Robert Moore, the father of eight children, attended the retreat with five of his children and his son-in-law. His wife, Theresa, stayed home with their younger children and their 1-year-old granddaughter, Eleanor.

Moore told CNY that the retreat “allowed us to come together as a family.” The Moores belong to St. Peter’s and St. Mary of the Assumption parish, Haverstraw.

“It was a way to spend time together, learn about our faith and help those less fortunate than us,” he said.

Tom Brinkmann, executive director of CYFM, said, “Our hope was that the participants would encounter Christ through prayer, reflection, service of the poor and the experience of Gospel community, and that the families would grow closer and seek ways to increase service in the rhythm of their family life.”

The retreat was such a success that CYFM plans to include it in its schedule again next year.

CYFM collaborated with Catholic Charities Community Services of Dutchess County, which identified the families in need of beds.

Moore said there was a lot of “love” that went into making each bed.

“It was wonderful to see so many people working together to saw, drill, sand and stain the wood…Throughout the weekend we prayed for the families that would benefit from this.”

“As a father, it was very special to see each of my children give so much of themselves for folks they never met or will never meet!” Moore said.

Ashton Moore, 17, suggested the retreat to her family. “I myself have been to CYFM several times and always come home ranting and raving about how wonderful it was, and with the family retreat I finally had the chance to share my experience with my family,” she said.

“Being in a big family, it’s sometimes hard to find things everyone enjoys,” she said. “But I can say with the utmost confidence that this retreat was something that everyone in my family loved.”

“Watching my family come together to express our faith was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed and truthfully it left me speechless,” she said.

Isabella Moore, 13, described other aspects of the retreat and said, “After spending the day working together we had a prayer service in the chapel followed by dinner. Toward the end of the evening there was a gathering outside and we had marshmallows and sang by the fire.”

Tristan Moore, 15, called the retreat weekend “fun” and “cool” even without the use of his television, video games or iPad. “I enjoyed working hard as a team making the beds,” he said. “In addition, I thought the campfire was a blast!”

Miranda Moore, 12, said, “We got to spend a lot of time together—we shared each meal, prayed, worked and played. It was hard work but it was worth it.” When asked about her favorite part, she said, “I was happy that I was able to touch the lives of someone else.”

The St. Joseph’s men’s group from St. Columba’s parish in Hopewell Junction applied a coating of polyurethane to the beds the following weekend. The beds were to be delivered on Nov. 14.