For Immediate Release
FURNITURE BANK BUILDS NEW WORKSHOP PROGRAM THANKS TO GRANT FROM ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION
Toronto, ON (May 21, 2015) – On Thursday, Diane Sigouin Daniel with the Ontario Trillium Foundation congratulated Furniture Bank on becoming the recipient of a two-year, $169,400 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Funds will be used to formalize the charity’s latest furniture workshop program. Working with volunteer and paid instructors, the program will train participants from Furniture Bank’s Leg Up employment program in the art of furniture repair, upholstery and woodworking.
“I am delighted to have Furniture Bank as a neighbour in my riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, tackling issues around poverty and homelessness,” says Peter Milczyn, MPP (Etobicoke–Lakeshore). “I am very excited that their new Furniture Workshop program will offer invaluable employment training, skills and supports to marginalized youth.”
In addition to giving participants an opportunity to learn additional skills, the furniture workshop will soon enable Furniture Bank to provide a repair service to damaged items of furniture, allowing the charity to redistribute even more furniture to its clients. Since 1998, Furniture Bank has diverted over 11,000 tonnes of used furniture from landfills and into the homes of individuals transitioning out of homelessness and displacement.
“Through our Leg Up employment program, we offer employment every year to over 20 socially marginalized youth, empowering program participants to pay bills, save money and identify goals beyond daily survival,” says Dan Kershaw, Furniture Bank’s Executive Director. “The new furniture workshop will not only teach participants a valuable skilled trade, it enables the re-insertion of damaged pieces of furniture into our donation stream, increasing our environmental and social impact.”
About Furniture Bank: Furniture Bank has been helping people in the Greater Toronto Area establish their homes since 1998 by enabling the transfer of gently used household furnishings from donors to individuals in need. The organization operates a year-round furniture removal service – picking up furniture from donors and delivering items to clients transitioning out of homelessness or displacement. Visit furniturebank.org for more information..
About Ontario Trillium Foundation: A leading grantmaker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities. Visit otf.ca for more information.
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Media Contact:
Dan Kershaw
Executive Director
Furniture Bank
416-934-1229 (ext. 720) (office)
905-806-8246 (cell)
dan.kershaw@furniturebank.org
