Our truck pulls in after driving from town-to-town picking up furniture for free. The truck is jam-packed to the brim. Tetris skills were required to position every piece for a safe journey. The roll-up door is pushed skyward revealing gently used pieces awaiting a new home. Small appliances are whisked away to the testing area where a retired repair shop owner turned volunteer will carefully inspect every cord and coil. Items requiring refinishing are set aside for our workshop that is similar to The Inventing Room in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Workshop volunteers with an eclectic mix of careers including an oral surgeon, aerospace engineer, internal medicine doctor, water engineer, radio station director, construction engineer, chemist, and chemical engineer, combine their multitude of skills to inject showroom quality finishes. The creative crew have even fashioned new feet for couches – a feat that rivals the formulation of the everlasting gobstopper.
As items are unloaded, another truck pulls into the lot. This one is a rental. The anxiety and tension levels inside this truck are palpable. Weeks ago, this family called our phone desk to set their appointment date after a representative at a housing authority submitted a referral form. They just moved into a small apartment in Essex County. Securing housing was a critical first step to move out of the shelter. But where will they sleep? Eat? Store clothes? Furniture will turn their empty apartment into a home.
The mother spots a compact bureau and leather loveseat on the Mission of Deeds truck that look tailor-made for their needs. The family needs apartment-sized pieces as they must navigate narrow hallways and haul furniture up several flights without a service elevator. The family is warmly greeted and invited inside the warehouse by a client host. The host is a personal shopper who works hand-in-hand to help visualize furniture in their new space. Together, they select nightstands, a student-sized desk, a TV stand, lamps, pictures, décor, and a kitchen table with leaf and matching chairs. The family exudes high wattage enthusiasm as they now have the ability to host Thanksgiving for the first time this year.
Brand-new beds are loaded first and then furniture is expertly packed with reusable laundry bags stuffed with new comforters, sheets, pillows, and towels providing the cushioning. The roll-up door on the rental truck slides down and they climb back in. Their anxious feelings have melted away and a wave of hope wraps around them.
It is thrilling when furniture we pick up is immediately provided to a household in need. It is the quintessential direct impact model. We pick up for free in the surrounding community and those pieces are provided at no charge directly to people in need. If you are moving or downsizing, please consider donating furniture, kitchen essentials, and household goods. We will guide them on the road to a new home.
