PODS®, Sit ‘n Sleep to donate bedroom furniture to foster youth

LOS ANGELES - May 15, 2014 - PRLog -- Each year, about 5,000 coming-of-age youth transition out of the foster care system. While most people would think this should be a positive new chapter in the lives of these individuals, the sad reality is that too many are left without a home, a bed to sleep on, or a mentor during their important transition to adulthood.

In an effort to help raise awareness for these transitioning foster youth on the brink of homelessness, PODS, a leading moving and storage company, has partnered with Sit ‘N Sleep and leading California human services agency Aspiranet, to donate a bedroom set to former foster youth Reigns Spears.

On April 25, Spears was selected for Aspiranet’s Transitional Housing Placement Program (THP – PLUS), which is providing former foster youth age 18-24 a safe living environment. Since turning 18, Spears has faced homelessness. Having her own bedroom furniture will be a first for Spears as she enters this new chapter of her life, a time she hopes to begin accomplishing her academic goals attending San Bernardino Valley College, and helping other youth.

“For Foster Care Month, we appreciate this gift from Sit ‘N Sleep and PODS for its complimentary moving services. It’s important we shed a light on the obstacles facing youth transitioning out of foster care,” said Jamie McCall, Aspiranet San Bernardino District Director.  “With greater involvement from the community, we can provide our youth with the opportunity to pursue educational and career dreams without the worry of balancing basic day-to-day needs.”

“Sit ‘N Sleep makes many donations a year, but having the opportunity to directly meet the youth we are impacting means a lot to us,” said Larry Miller, CEO of Sit ‘N Sleep. “We look forward to meeting Spears on Friday, May 23^rd and are honored to have the chance to help her transition into adulthood.”

“It is so important to PODS to be able to make moves like this for those in need,” explains Mark Dubose, Manager of PODS of Los Angeles. “Knowing that we are helping a youth to stand on their own two feet makes these kinds of moves worthwhile to all of us.”

To learn more about Aspiranet’s services for foster youth, visit www.aspiranet.org

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services throughout 45 locations within California. Aspiranet strengthens children, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Wraparound and Family and Community Services.

Founded 38 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, Calif., Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org.

About PODS Enterprises, Inc:

PODS is a leader in the moving and storage industry providing both residential and commercial services in 46 U.S. states, Canada, Australia and the UK. Founded in 1998, PODS pioneered the portable moving and storage industry now preferred by many customers’ increasingly active and mobile lifestyles. To date, the PODS network has completed more than 500,000 long-distance moves, exceeded 2 million deliveries and has more than 145,000 PODS containers in service.