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 White Plains, NY - Furniture Sharehouse, Westchester’s Furniture Bank, an all-volunteer organization, is asking the community to donate gently used furniture to help families in need in Westchester county.
Over 320 families have been served by Furniture Sharehouse since it opened in April 2007 and its furniture inventory is always in need of replenishment.
One such family benefiting from this organization’s efforts visited Furniture Sharehouse with her case manager on August 7. The young woman and her mother from Peekskill, NY, called the opportunity to choose furniture from the aisles of Westchester’s furniture bank “a blessing” as she prepares to move herself and her three young children from a shelter into an apartment. The client was able to select a kitchen table, four chairs, a two-piece sectional sofa, coffee table, two dressers, and an assortment of smaller “bonus” items. In addition, she qualified to receive three brand-new twin mattress sets for her children from Furniture Sharehouse’s “Mattresses for Moms” fund, for which the family was especially grateful, since they had been sleeping on cardboard boxes before they were approved to make a trip to Furniture Sharehouse. “It’s nice to know that people are willing to help those who need help in this way especially now when times are tough,” the mother said, clearly relieved that her daughter and grandchildren were moving to a better place complete with furniture.
Marie Graham, an interior decorator, volunteers her time and talents to assist clients with their furniture selections. Ms. Graham read about Furniture Sharehouse in an article and recently began volunteering at the warehouse. “As a decorator, I have always believed in the power of one’s living space to transform one’s life. I love working at Furniture Sharehouse because I can make a difference in a family’s life every time I volunteer,” says Graham.
Kate Bialo, Director of Furniture Sharehouse, is encouraging the public to donate their good-quality used furniture to Furniture Sharehouse. “Unlike other organizations that accept used furniture, we give the furniture free of charge directly to those who need it the most, instead of selling it at prices our clients could never afford,” she says.
“We are especially in need of kitchen tables and very good-condition used mattresses and box springs (no stains please!) – we never have enough of these items,” Bialo says. “We also accept monetary donations to our “Mattresses for Moms” fund to help some of our neediest clients who are literally sleeping on the floor,” she added.
For information about how to make furniture or monetary donations, or how to volunteer in areas including client assistance, raising community awareness and fundraising, go to www.furnituresharehouse.org or call 914.834.1294.
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