How We Kept on Truckin’: 1 Year Anniversary

Timeline of Furniture Bank theft and recovery

 

1 Year Anniversary of Keep on Truckin’

One year ago (almost to the day) the majority of out truck fleet was hit by vandalism and theft putting Furniture Bank at risk of not being able to operate for weeks.

This would of meant that many families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness, newcomers to Canada and women and children exiting abusive situations starting fresh in new homes, were at risk of not receiving furniture.

But thanks to the support of our friends in the trucking and cartage community and Leon’s Canada, we were proud to say that we didn’t miss a single client delivery! And thanks to the generous support and words of encouragement from Canadians across the country, we were able to recoup the $20,000 loss of having our Catalytic converters stolen.

As hundreds of Syrian refugees in the GTA are now moved into permanent housing, Furniture Bank is gearing up for a surge in demand for its services as these families look to furnish their homes. We need more drivers and movers with big hearts to help with this increased demand. Interested candidates should visit Furniture Bank’s employment page.

‘Timeline of our setback and recovery’

Timeline of Furniture Bank theft and recovery

February 27, 2015

On the night of February 27th, our fleet of trucks were the target of an incident of vandalism and theft that left the majority of them immobile. Our social enterprise and charity was at risk of not being able to operate for weeks, which would have left our clients without gently used furniture, and left us unable to collect new furniture donations. Our press release about the incident included CCTV footage of the theft, while major news outlets across the country carried the story.

March 2, 2015

Our immediate concern was to ensure that none of our clients were affected. Thankfully, our friends in the trucking and cartage community stepped up to help make deliveries of furniture to clients. Similarly, we are grateful to Leon’s Furniture who also donated a truck and crew to help get us through our setback.

With the scale of our losses clear, the rest of our community started to reach out to us to help us overcome the $20,000 we lost from the theft. With the help of CanadaHelps, a campaign was launched for corporations and individuals to show their support through donations.

March 11, 2015

Despite staring at weeks of unmet furniture deliveries and pickups, we were able to continue our operations. Thanks to our supporters from across Canada, we were able to keep on trucking the rest of the week. In fact, on March 11, only a week since the launch of our Keep us truckin’ campaign, we were able to raise $20,750 to recover the cost of the theft and help get our trucks back on the road.

March 13, 2015 and beyond

Thanks to donations from Alterna Savings, the Rotary Club of Etobicoke as well as numerous other individual donors, together with truck and crew donations from the likes of Leon’s Furniture, together we ensured not a single client was affected.

Over 100 families a week rely on our ability to deliver furniture donations in a timely and safe manner. So, moving forward, we need to ensure that our fleet of trucks are protected, our facilities are secured and all necessary steps are taken to continue to keep Furniture Bank trucking. We therefore ask our donors to continue to support us through their financial and furniture donations to ensure no client who visits furniture bank has their furniture undelivered.

The outcome

Thanks to our donors’ in-kind and financial donations, not a single client was affected by our setback. Instead, 381 individuals who were at risk of not having their furniture delivered during this timeline, now have furniture.

Who Our Supporters Helped

Number of clients who benefited from your support

Your support ensured that our clients have beds to sleep in and tables to eat on. In fact they were given them much more than that: the dignity, security and stability associated with living in a furnished home. For that we say THANK YOU to all our friends and supporters.

For more information about our setback and how we recovered, download an informational fact sheet here.

 

Did you enjoy this article?
Recent Posts

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals offers a well-defined global framework for addressing the most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. By aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals, Furniture Bank is able to adopt a...

Furniture Bank is dedicated to measuring the impact we create in the lives of those we serve. Our approach aligns with the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework and the Common Approach to Impact Measurement....

Related Posts

Sunset, Vancouver, BC HomeStart Foundation is a non-profit Christian humanitarian organization helping people re-establish a home. Working in partnership with over 70 member agencies, we give donated home furnishings to people in need....

Big thank you to IKEA Canada! Just before closing their Etobicoke store, we worked together to bring 21 customer returned mattresses to Furniture Bank for immediate reuse. These mattresses went to families so children do not...

3255 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2P1 We’re providing furniture and household items to people on the North Shore transitioning from homelessness to independent living....
137, 7007 54th St SE (Bay 26), Calgary, AB T2C 3C2 Women in Need Society (WINS) is an award winning not-for-profit organization and Calgary based shopping alternative investing in the social wellbeing of community....
Division No. 1, Subd. D, NL Home Again Furniture Bank is a nonprofit organization that provides gently-used furniture and household items to individuals and families in need. We work through a referral system of local agencies...
606 Selkirk Ave, Winnipeg, MB R2W 2N1 Oyate Tipi is a non-profit organization located in Winnipeg which accepts donations of gently used household goods and furniture. All items are then distributed to women and children who...
340 Legget Drive Door #53, Kanata, ON K2K 1Y6 Matthew House Ottawa is a faith-based, volunteer-driven, charitable organization that helps Ottawa’s marginalized population to establish connected, safe, healthy, and dignified homes within our community....
25 Connell Ct, Etobicoke, ON M8Z 1E7 Canada's largest operating Furniture Bank. Established in 1998, Furniture Bank is a Toronto based charity and social enterprise that transfers gently used furniture and household goods donated by individuals...

The Star cover stories from former Furniture Bank clients. Read the article below or access The Star’s original post by clicking this link. Furniture Bank makes houses into homes for families in need By TAMAR...

Furniture Bank began in 1998 with the belief that a sense of pride, comfort, and security – in short, a sense of home – are critical ingredients for people to transition out of lives of...

In this guest blog post, Karen Saunders (on the left), RBC Employee and longstanding corporate volunteer, reflects on how volunteer days at Furniture Bank has brought her colleagues closer together, gave her life perspective and...

Sister Anne Schenck would be the first to admit that there was no firm business plan when she first introduced Furniture Bank to Torontonians new and old back in 1996. Inspired by her past experiences...

So what exactly happens to your old sofa after you donate it to Furniture Bank? Let’s just say it goes on the most action packed 48 hour ride of its life. In this post, we’ve...

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals offers a well-defined global framework for addressing the most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. By aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals, Furniture Bank is able to adopt a...

Furniture Bank is dedicated to measuring the impact we create in the lives of those we serve. Our approach aligns with the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework and the Common Approach to Impact Measurement....

Are you looking to make the most out of an estate sale? Whether you are a family hoping to downsize, an executor tasked with liquidating assets, or a child responsible for clearing out the home...