Some Detroit firefighters got early Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve--new mattresses for their firehouse.
Art Van Furniture is donating 150 mattresses. 14 were delivered to a firehouse on the city’s east side Monday.
The gifts highlight how many Detroit services are heavily subsidized by private donations. The donation is part of a broader campaign to garner private donations for the city’s public safety and recreation centers.
Detroit mayor Dave Bing says the city hasn’t made the necessary investments in those places “for a long time.”
“We’ve not been able to supply them with the tools that they need to do their job,” Bing said.
“We’re not getting the kind of resources that we need at the state level, and even at the federal level. So we’ve really got to enhance our bottom line by going out to philanthropy, to foundations, to businesses, to successful individuals.”
Bing said the mattress donation is only “step one.”
Bing’s “Active and Safe Detroit campaign” aims to raise $50 million over three years to invest in police, fire, and recreation centers.
