Jumping on a bed is generally discouraged, but on Monday night at Gillette Stadium, it was a welcomed and fitting expression of joy.
In partnership with Bob's Discount Furniture, the Patriots Foundation surprised 200 kids in need with brand new beds, pajamas and more. The kids were identified through Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and its A Bed for Every Child initiative, and for many of these children, the new bed, complete with Patriots bedding, was the first bed of their own.
Executive Director of A Bed for Every Child Robyn Frost said something that many people take for granted, like a bed, can be a game changer for kids.
"Well, I'll tell you from our perspective, it means that a kid could get ready for school, go to school refreshed and be able to concentrate, and that was our mission," Robyn said. "We really wanted to give kids a good night's sleep so that they could get to school and hopefully it's one of the tools to raise them up and out of poverty as an adult."
The Putnam Club at Gillette Stadium transformed into a pajama party as kids ran through rows and rows of beds to find theirs. They had snacks, played games, watched a movie on the stadium's HD boards and, later on, were visited by special guests.
More than a dozen Patriots surprised the kids, signing autographs and hanging out as a great day got even better.
"Now that you've got these beds, are you going to go to bed on time?" Ted Karras asked the line of kids waiting to meet him. The answer was a quick and resounding, "No!"
Ted was joined by his teammates, like Devin and Jason McCourty, James White, Duron Harmon, Kyle Van Noy, Eric Rowe, Marcus Cannon, Deatrich Wise, Derek Rivers, Sony Michel, Phillip Dorsett, Jacob Hollister, Danny Ettling and more.
"It's such a great thing. It's something you probably don't even really think about as far as helping somebody out – something as simple as a bed," Ted said. "You spend a third of your life in the bed. The Kraft family and the Patriots organization always do the best job at helping people out, and it's really a pleasure to be a part of."
Kyle Van Noy said walking into the room filled with beds was a sight to see.
"It was kind of overwhelming at first, but then you get to walk around and see the impact that it has and it's awesome," Kyle said. "What a beautiful, fun, exciting thing to do and to have kids' energy and them jumping around and happy to see you is awesome."
You can check out more photos from the Bed-Zone Bash in the gallery below.
The New England Patriots Foundation and Bob's Discount Furniture welcomed 200 children from Mass Coalition for the Homeless and surprised each of them with their own brand new Patriots-themed Bob-O-Pedic bed during a special "Bed Zone Bash" event at Gillette Stadium on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018.
