M&N Mattress Shop is more than halfway through its 52-mattress giveaway, with one going to a local person in need every week this year.
The inspiration dates back to several years ago, when Mark Nagra, co-owner with his wife Neelam, heard the '12 Days of Christmas' on the radio and decided to give away 12 mattresses for the Christmas season, a tradition now for seven or eight years.
More recently, he noticed someone in a tough spot ask for a mattress on a community Facebook page called "Give, Ask, Gratitude." Nagra decided to help, and before he knew it, M&N Mattress Shop had donated five mattresses, so he decided to make it 52 in 52 weeks.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 basically how it came about, just seeing a post where somebody couldn鈥檛 afford one, needed one and the community has been very supportive of us for 24 years 鈥� it鈥檒l be 25 years this year. Giving back is the right thing to do,鈥� he said.
Society of Organized Services helps the Nagras find locals who could use a mattress. It's a heartwarming experience to deliver them, Mark said, and sometimes people are emotional when they see their new mattress.
Nagra said a big part of his motivation is his experience of "ups and downs" several decades ago, when he was heavily in debt, sometimes slept in his car and didn't have enough food.
鈥淚 could have used a nice bed back in the late '90s when I didn鈥檛 have anything,鈥� he said.
As his business nears a quarter century in Parksville, he still remembers the nerves they had when they first opened, and said he's thankful for the community support over the years.
