Comfort and joy: Factory Mattress delivers beds to Marines and their children
Even when they were homeless, Rebecca Adamson and Chris Watkins have done their best for their children. Once they moved into an apartment, they reached out to buy-nothing groups to furnish it. Their beds were gently used and got them through, but it's not what the family needed.
Adamson, 31, has arthritis in her lower back and three bulging disks. Son Leon, 8, has been waking up with back pain from a too-stiff mattress. Daughter Keiko, 2, had a thin mattress that she wouldn't sleep on. And son Lucas, 1, is still in a crib, but one day he'll join his sister in a big kid set of bunk beds.
On Wednesday, Factory Mattress delivered comfort to the family in the form of a queen Serta Arctic cooling mattress and an adjustable base for the parents and thick mattresses for the kids' bunk beds.
This is the 14th year Factory Mattress has donated to the Statesman's Season for Caring program. This year, it is delivering $26,000 worth of beds to the families who need them. Since 2010, Factory Mattress has donated $289,000 worth of beds to Season for Caring.
"This is our way of giving back to the community; they've always given back to us," said Stephen Frey Jr., president of Factory Mattress. "This is our many ways of saying 'thank you' to them. We're just privileged to be a part of it."
Factory Mattress was started in Austin 46 years ago by Frey's father, and it now has 21 stores in and around Central Texas and San Antonio. The company gives to many local nonprofit organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Austin Pets Alive.
"Season for Caring is near and dear to our hearts because we know that the Statesman takes the time to really vet the families and find the individuals that are in the most dire need," Frey said. "It allows us to impact their lives."
The Adamson Watkins family was nominated to Season for Caring by the nonprofit Foundation Communities, which provides affordable housing throughout the Austin area. Money raised through Season for Caring helps the 12 featured families first and then helps the nonprofit organizations aid many other families with basic needs such as rent, clothing, food, transportation and medical care.
Both Adamson and Watkins served in the Marines. She first noticed back pain during boot camp. The adjustable base will "really help her sleep more comfortably," Frey said. He showed her how to raise the foot of the bed to get a good stretch for her back and relieve the pressure from her lower back.
Read more: Marines try to rebuild their lives after skirting homelessness | Season for Caring 2023
"It definitely helps," Adamson said, resting on the bed with her feet elevated and children beside her. "Getting my adjustable bed means so much to me because it means I can sleep comfortably. ... I could go to sleep just like this right now."
Watkins, 34, said he could sleep anywhere. He has slept in helicopters, on cots and the desert sand. He served 14 months in Iraq and seven months in Afghanistan.
For Watkins, the gift meant he would "be able to make my family comfortable and have what they need ... and not hurt when they wake up in the morning."
Leon asked his parents some pretty tough questions: "Why does the mattress feel like a marshmallow?"
Watkins' answer: "Because it's supposed to."
"How?" Leon wanted to know.
He was pretty impressed. "I really like that I'm getting a new bed," he said. "My old mattress, it was rock solid."
The Adamson Watkins family is going through some hard times right now. Watkins is between job contracts at Applied Materials, where he has built and tested semiconductors, and he has been without work this month. In addition to Adamson's disability payments, the family drives for food delivery services to make it until another contract starts in February.
In addition to help with rent, the family needs a washer, a dryer, children's clothing, dressers, a new couch and more things on their Amazon wish list.
To learn more about the family or to donate an item from their wish list, contact Foundation Communities, 737-267-5738, foundcom.org.
About Season for Caring
The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.” Now through Dec. 25, all monetary donations will be matched up to $500,000 by the Sheth family.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring: Factory Mattress gives to Marines, their children
