CORONA, Calif. — Home furnishings and bedding industry charity WorldBed recently honored industry leaders who helped the non-profit humanitarian organization reach a milestone of distributing 20,000 beds to disaster victims around the world in 2010.

Major donors Anatomic Global, Deslee Textiles, the International Sleep Products Assn., Leggett & Platt, Relax the Back, the Specialty Sleep Assn. and Wright of Thomasville received awards in a ceremony held at the recent Las Vegas Furniture Market.

"If not for the invaluable contributions of our honorees, thousands of children and families who are victims of disasters would still be sleeping on the ground," said Laura Castro, WorldBed executive director. "These companies and organizations are making a difference in displaced people's lives that is recognized locally and globally, by the recipients of WorldBeds and the customers of these companies."

Corporate sponsors of WorldBed have ranged from single-location retail outlets to large retail chains, major industry suppliers and world-renowned philanthropic and disaster relief groups.

According to Castro, the roster of supporters continues to grow as the organization expands into more areas of the world where emergency beds are needed, such as Chile and Pakistan. Last December 1,800 WorldBeds were distributed through WorldBed partner World Vision to several regions of Africa where they will be utilized by medical facilities.

"We are thankful for the generous support of the home furnishing and bedding industry which has made our organization possible," Castro said. "With the industry's continued support, we will continue to improve the quality of life for displaced people by providing for their basic need of a place to sleep."

Created in 2005 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, WorldBed is a not-for-profit organization that serves disaster-hit areas of the world such as Haiti, Chile, Africa and Pakistan by providing donations of cot-sized emergency relief field beds, consisting of specialized three-inch water resistant, medical-grade covered foam. WorldBed is made possible through the donations of its sponsors, including founding sponsor Anatomic Global, a California-based manufacturer of memory foam sleep products. WorldBed's goal is to distribute 200,000 beds worldwide to places and people in need.