Mission of Deeds ascribes to the principle that all clients will be treated with dignity and respect. It is a hallmark of our operation. From the furniture they receive to the experience in our warehouse, the people in need we serve deserve the best. We do not believe in “anything is better than nothing”. A stained couch, wobbly chair, and dirty glassware do not meet our standards. The unfortunate reality in the furniture bank space is that you often receive items that should have been routed to a landfill or restored by a professional. We are strict on our guidelines for two purposes: maximize space in our small warehouse and optimize the client experience.
It may appear that we are too rigid and the donation process is cumbersome. But our policies are in place to ensure we best meet the needs of our clients. We have been in operation for more than 30 years and in this time it has become exceedingly evident the items clients need and do not need. A pedestal table in terrific shape may seem like a great fit. However, lugging a pedestal table up five flights of stairs (and fitting in through the doorway!) is not feasible for the people we serve. They would prefer an apartment-sized kitchen table with four legs that are detachable. Those types of tables fly out of our warehouse. And there are some furniture pieces (example: hutch) that are in pristine condition but not practical for a small apartment. We appreciate the sentimental value behind your furniture and understand you are hoping it will end up donated to a person in need. But we cannot sacrifice quality nor space to meet this end. We want to save as many furniture items as possible and give them a second life. It is why we pick up furniture for free in 11 towns and do not impose an item minimum in order to schedule a pickup.
When we receive items that do not meet our standards, disposal is a steep cost we have to take on. Renting a dumpster can easily cost $800. This expense takes away from our ability to best serve people in need. The $800 expended on a dumpster could have been used to purchase 80 brand-new blankets. To make sure that we can accept your items, please first check the guidelines and make sure the items are clean, complete and in good working order. We cannot provide our clients with broken, chipped, torn, stained, incomplete, or unusable items.
We appreciate the community’s support of our mission. We could not exist without neighbors lending a helping hand to us and by extension our clients. We are grateful for your donations and understanding! There is so much need out there and we could not perform our mission without our supporters.
