It was April 17, 2023, at 5:30 a.m., and there was a pounding on the door. When I answered, I was…read moretold there was a fire and we had to leave. A few hours later, a fire had ripped through our condo building. We didn't know it then, but we would be displaced for over two years.
As we all started to figure out where to go now that we were homeless, the stories started to come out. We all dealt with the feelings of loss and heartbreak as we put the pieces of our lives back together.
My friend and neighbor of ten years told me of her auto accident months earlier that had left her with head trauma and memory loss. During that time, her insurance had lapsed. Her agent of twenty years didn't call, didn't follow up, and her insurance coverage had lapsed. Then the fire.
I was sharing this story with Rich Taylor at a community event, and he asked me to call his wife, Lauren. I asked why, and he explained that she was the president of Holder Mattress and their company was all about helping the community that had helped and supported them.
I called Lauren and shared the story of my amazing neighbor, the auto accident, the head trauma, the lapsed insurance, and how she had lost all of her possessions. I asked if there was anything Holder Mattress could do to help my friend. She asked me to give her some time to check into a few options and said she would get back to me shortly.
True to her word, she reached back out and told me that Holder Mattress would love to provide a free mattress and box spring for my neighbor. I thanked her and told her I would be in touch once we knew when we could go back home, little knowing it would be two and a half years.
My friend is fortunate to have many great people in her life who gave her a place to stay while she waited for her home to be rebuilt.
We are finally able to go home now, and when I called Lauren, she graciously responded and assured me that Holder Mattress wanted to help. They scheduled a time this past week and delivered the mattress. I love the message they left:
"We will call you early next week to confirm a window of time for delivery, so you'll know when to expect them. They will do all set up, and if you'd like, they can haul away any existing mattress you need to dispose of. You'll simply need to open the door and point them in the right direction. I hope you sleep well on the new mattress!"
No old mattress to take away, the fire took care of that, but Holder Mattress and their team showed up, and it was a VIP experience for my neighbor. If you love to support local companies who truly care, Holder Mattress is a company worthy of your support and patronage.