More than 4,000 Granite School District educators received free pillows in early September after a Southern California company partnered with a local foundation to recognize their work.

Honeydew Sleep Company, founded in 2017 by Jonathan and Evita Kunkle, donated the pillows to Granite district educators, with distribution events at Skyline, Taylorsville and Hunter high schools, the Millcreek Journal reported. The Granite Education Foundation helped coordinate the logistics.

Representatives started at Skyline High School at 6 a.m., then moved to Taylorsville High School and Hunter High School, finishing in the afternoon. At each stop, they handed out pillows and talked with educators about sleep health.

The pillows were free.

At Skyline, teachers received them ahead of the Sept. 7 Labor Day weekend and tested them on the spot.

The company called the donation "a gesture of appreciation for the work [teachers] do for students and their communities," according to a press release cited by the Journal.

Honeydew maintains a buy-one-give-one policy: every pillow purchased results in another pillow donated to someone in need, the Journal reported.

The Granite Education Foundation, the district's philanthropic arm, played a key role in making the day happen. The foundation works across all Granite district schools to reduce barriers to learning. According to its own description, the district serves more than 1,300 students experiencing homelessness and a student population where 65% face food insecurity.

Randy Prince, the foundation's programs and volunteer manager, told ABC4 in August that about half of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch. "That is how we identify the need in the district," Prince said in the Aug. 13 interview.

The pillow donation falls under the foundation's teacher-recognition mission, one of its core focus areas alongside student aid, food assistance and expanded access to opportunity.

Residents can find volunteer and donation information for the Granite Education Foundation at granitekids.org.