OF
OF THE
OF THE SHOW.
NEXT
NEXT TIME
NEXT TIME YOU PICK UP A BAG OF LAY'S POTATO CHIPS, LOOK CAREFULLY --
YOU
YOU MAY
YOU MAY JUST SEE AN IDAHOAN ON THE BAG! CHECK IT OUT!
THAT'S LUKE MICKELSON
OF KIMBERLY.
AND THAT'S HIS SMILE
ON THE COVER OF LAY'S
POTATO CHIPS!
SO WHAT'S HIS SMILE
DOING ON THE BAG OF
AMERICA'S BEST-SELLING
POTATO CHIPS?
KIM FIELDS CAUGHT UP
WITH HIM FOR THE STORY.
KIM
KIM SAYS,
KIM SAYS, "OKAY LET'S SEE IT." "HERE'S MY LIMON. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU
SAY IT. LEMON," LUKE
MICKELSON SAID.
IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU
FIND
FIND YOURSELF ON THE COVER OF A BAG OF CHIPS!
KIM, "LUKE THAT'S
AWESOME!" "AND THEN
ON THE BACK, IT HAS MY
PICTURE AND A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT WE DO,
SAYING WE'VE BUILT OVER
55,000 BEDS," MICKELSON
SAID.
BUILDING BEDS IS EXACTLY
WHAT LUKE DOES. IN
2012, HE LEFT HIS HIGH-
PAYING JOB AND STARTED
THE NONPROFIT, SLEEP IN
HEAVENLY PEACE, TO
PROVIDE HANDCRAFTED
BEDS TO CHILDREN IN
NEED.
WHEN MAGGIE O'MARA
FEATURED HIM AS A 7'S
HERO IN 2016, HE AND HIS
SMALL TEAM OF
VOLUNTEERS HAD BUILT ABOUT 100 BEDS. A LOT HAS HAPPENED
SINCE THEN!
"WE ARE NOW 236
CHAPTERS IN 44 STATES
AND IN 4 DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES. AND WE'VE
BUILT, WE JUST SURPASSED
60,000 BEDS THAT WE'VE
BUILT," MICKELSON SAID.
"2016, BEING A SEVEN'S
HERO WAS PROBABLY THE
BIGGEST RECOGNITION, AT
LEAST AS FAR AS
POPULATION GOES,
THAT'D WE'D EVER SEEN
AT THAT TIME. AND IT
WAS A GREAT BOOST FOR
US," MICKELSON SAID.
NOW, LUKE'S NONPROFIT
IS GETTING AN EVEN
BIGGER BOOST -- AND
NATIONAL
NATIONAL RECOGNITION. HE'S ONE OF 30 PEOPLE CHOSEN BY LAY'S TO
GRACE THE COVER OF
THEIR POTATO CHIPS --
PEOPLE WHO GO ABOVE
AND BEYOND TO SHARE
KINDNESS AND JOY.
"WHAT WE HAD TO DO,
WAS, THE FIRST THING
THEY SAID IS, 'WE WANT
TO TAKE PICTURES OF YOU
SMILING, AS MANY
PICTURES AS YOU CAN.' SO
I WENT OUTSIDE BY MY
FRIEND'S HOUSE AND JUST
WITH
WITH MY
WITH MY PHONE, WE TOOK, OH I DON'T KNOW, 50 PICTURES. DIFFERENT
PICTURES, LIKE SMILING OR
STICKING YOUR TONGUE
OUT OR KISSIE FACE. ONE
OF THEM THEY SAID, YOU
KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE
SPELL THE ALPHABET. YOU
KNOW, A, E, I. AND I
THINK THEY PICKED THE
E," MICKELSON SAID. KIM
SAYS, "IT'S A GREAT SMILE,
LUKE. IT REALLY IS." "OH
THANKS."
LUKE'S SMILE IS ON THE
BAG OF CHEDDAR AND
SOUR CREAM ... AND THE
LIMON FLAVOR THAT HE
SHOWED US EARLIER. HE
NEVER THOUGHT HE'D SEE
HIMSELF ON STORE
SHELVES! OR HAVE SO
MANY PEOPLE RECOGNIZE
HIS PEARLY WHITES!
"WE SEE THAT IN
GROCERY STORES OR GAS
STATIONS. AND THEN I'M
ALSO ON THE WAVY SEA
SALT AND PEPPER. THAT'S
THE ONE BAG I HAVEN'T
SEEN YET. I'M GETTING
PICTURES FROM ALASKA,
FROM FLORIDA, NEW
YORK, TEXAS ALL OVER
THE PLACE," MICKELSON
SAID.
LUKE SAYS THE NATIONAL
EXPOSURE COULDN'T
COME AT A BETTER TIME.
COVID-19 HIT HIS NON-
PROFIT
PROFIT HARD. DONATIONS WERE DOWN 85% -- WHILE THE
DEMAND FOR CHILDREN
NEEDING BEDS WAS
GOING UP.
"IT'S BEEN REALLY
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. BUT WE'RE STARTING TO COME
OUT OF IT. WE'RE
STARTING TO SEE SOME
LIGHT AT THE END OF
THAT TUNNEL,"
MICKELSON SAID.
... OR A BIG SMILE ON A
BAG OF POTATO CHIPS.
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE
WILL GET A PORTION OF
EACH SPECIALLY-MARKED
BAG OF LAY'S SOLD FROM
NOW THROUGH
DECEMBER.
"TO GO TOWARD OUR
MISSION NO KID SLEEPS
ON THE FLOOR IN OUR
TOWN," MICKELSON SAID.
THE
THE IDEA
THE IDEA FOR SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE ALL STARTED WHEN LUKE
BUILT ONE BUNK BED.
HE WENT ON FACEBOOK
TO SEE WHO MIGHT
KNOW A FAMILY WHO
COULD USE IT.
THE RESPONSE WAS
OVERWHELMING.
IT BECAME APPARENT TO
LUKE THE NUMBER OF
KIDS IN IDAHO - AND