Since Furniture Bank opened its doors in 1998, your furniture donations to Furniture Bank have helped over 25,000 women and children in the Greater Toronto Area achieve the dignity and security associated with having a furnished home.
Many of our clients include mothers transitioning out of homelessness and displacement, those who are new to Canada, as well as others exiting abusive situations – all seeking to rebuild their lives. The money saved from receiving donated items of furniture frees up resources to purchase food, transportation, meet school and health needs, and clothing, with the furniture itself providing psychological and health benefits.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Marion, a client services volunteer, shares a mother-daughter moment she experienced on our showroom floor recently…
Last week I had the privilege of serving a woman who overcame extreme challenges to get to her appointment at Furniture Bank.
She had only recently been released from hospital following hip replacement surgery – as a result, she had extreme difficulty pushing her walker, and relied on her daughter who had accompanied her to the appointment, carrying her own child.
Needless to say the appointment took a lot longer than the allotted time but by the end of the appointment the client had gotten everything she needed for her one-bedroom apartment and was grateful for the choice of furniture on offer.
As they were leaving I said to the woman’s daughter that she had great patience in dealing with the situation and that I loved the respect and love she showed to her mother throughout the appointment.
It’s “nothing” she said. “My mother raised me by herself and worked two jobs to keep food on the table. She has always been there for me and I’m always happy when I can do something to put a smile on her face.”
This Mother’s Day story is just one example of the strength and courage our clients display when they come to our showroom to select their furniture. Your furniture donations give our clients the dignity of choice and helps them cross the finish line of their transition out of homelessness and displacement. Having a furnished home empowers recipients and creates positive, knock on effects in other areas of their life.
So if you have old furniture that is no longer being used, call us to come pick it up and we’ll make sure it gets to someone in need of it. And give you a tax receipt for your donation.
