Furniture Bank

Last updated
Furniture Bank
Founded1998 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
FounderSister Anne Schenck [1]
Type non-profit, social enterprise
FocusWomen and children, immigrants, refugees, homeless
Location
Area served
Greater Toronto Area
Key people
Dan Kershaw, executive director [1]
Website www.furniturebank.org

Furniture Bank is a charitable organization and social enterprise [2] that has been helping people in the Greater Toronto Area establish their homes since 1998. [3] [4] Furniture Bank accepts gently used furniture and household goods and redistributes them to people in marginalized communities. [5] Donors can drop off furniture or use the fee-based pick-up service to make a contribution, and are offered an in kind charitable tax receipt for the value of the donated goods. [6] [7]

Contents

The organization’s focus is on helping new immigrants and refugees, abused women and children, [3] and the formerly homeless furnish their homes. [2] Furniture Bank works alongside more than 70 community agencies and shelters, [4] such as Streets to Homes, [8] YMCA Shelters, and the Fred Victor Centre, [9] that refer clients in need to access the services.

With 5 trucks on the road, [6] Furniture Bank is able to provide furniture to more than 5,000 clients a year. [9] [10] In 2012, the organization diverted 1,526 metric tons of furniture from ending up in a landfill. [8]

Furniture Bank is a member of the Furniture Bank Association of North America. [11]

History

Sister Anne Schenck, one of the Sisters of St. Joseph and a retired teacher and principal, established Furniture Bank in Toronto in 1998 and continues to be involved with the Board. [3] [8] With help from Jack Layton, she was able to secure rent-free space from the City of Toronto and established 200 Madison Avenue as Furniture Bank’s first home. [2] The organization based operations out of this warehouse until 2008 when the building was to be converted into housing, forcing Furniture Bank to move. [12]

Furniture Bank has relocated a few times, but now has a permanent home in the west end of Toronto. The move to Etobicoke allowed the organization to meet the growing demands of the operation and transform the warehouse into a true showroom. [7] Furniture Bank has been located at 25 Connell Court since 2012. [5]

As of May 2014, Furniture Bank has served over 60,000 people in need. [8]

Programs

Furniture Link functions as the logistics arm of Furniture Bank by providing pick-up and delivery services to donors and clients of the organization. [3] [13] This social enterprise is run much like a private company, but is driven by a social mission. Furniture Link is supported through grants from the United Way's Toronto Enterprise Fund and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. [4] [14] Revenue from operations are re-invested in the organization to provide funds for staffing and programming with a goal to subsidize operations and make the charity self-sustaining. [15] [16]

Leg Up

Furniture Bank operates an employment program called Leg Up, which provides individuals facing barriers to employment with training and work opportunities. [7] [17] The job skills program has a focus on new immigrants and at-risk youth, [8] with participants working a variety of different paid placements throughout Furniture Bank’s operations. [5]

Events

Chair Affair

The signature fundraising event at Furniture Bank is the Chair Affair. [14] [18] The annual event consists of a live and silent auction on chairs selected from the Furniture Bank warehouse and decorated by Toronto designers. [19] [20] Previous designers include Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman of Steven and Chris, [10] and Heidi Richter and Paul Lafrance of Decked Out. [18] Jack Layton, [10] Susan Hay, [21] and Olivia Chow [20] have acted as hosts or auctioneers in the past.

Volunteering

Volunteers play a big role in the organization, helping to move furniture and assist clients in selecting items. In addition to having regular volunteers, Furniture Bank often hosts corporate groups who volunteer for the day. [9] [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Molson Brewery is a Canadian-based brewery based in Montreal and was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borys Wrzesnewskyj</span> Canadian politician

Borys Wrzesnewskyj is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the House of Commons of Canada. He held the riding from 2004 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019. He is a member of the Liberal Party.

Laurel C. Broten is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2013, who represented the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. She served in the cabinets of Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food bank</span> Non-profit, charitable organization that gives out food

A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food directly with their food pantries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CNIB Foundation</span> Organization for the blind based in Canada

The CNIB Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization and volunteer agency dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss, and to provide information about vision health for all Canadians. Founded in 1918 as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to assist soldiers who had been blinded in the First World War, CNIB originally offered sheltered care and specialized employment to people with vision loss. It has since expanded to include other programs and services, including research, public education, rehabilitation counselling and training, advocacy and an alternative-format library for people living with a print disability. It is a member of the Braille Authority of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 519</span> Non-profit agency of the City of Toronto

The 519, formerly known as The 519 Church Street Community Centre, is an agency by the City of Toronto. A Canadian charitable, non-profit organization, it operates a community centre in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 519 serves both its local neighbourhood and the broader lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) communities in the Toronto area. The 519 defines its local neighbourhood by a catchment area that spans from Bloor Street to the north to Gerrard Street to the south, and from Bay Street in the west to Parliament Street in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Osler Health System</span> Hospital in Ontario, Canada

William Osler Health System, formerly William Osler Health Centre, is a hospital network in Ontario, Canada that serves the city of Brampton and the northern portion of the western Toronto district of Etobicoke. The network is named for Canadian physician William Osler, one of the four founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital and developer of the concept of medical residency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Area Food Bank</span> Nonprofit and largest hunger relief organization in the Washington metro area

The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. By partnering with over 450 community organizations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, each year the Capital Area Food Bank is helping nearly half a million people each year get access to good, healthy food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gatehouse (charity)</span>

The Gatehouse is a registered charity based in the Etobicoke area of in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that treats survivors of child sexual abuse. The centre has helped more than 15,000 survivors of childhood sexual abuse since it opened in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honeydale Mall</span> Shopping mall in Ontario, Canada

Honeydale Mall was a community shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located at the intersection of Dundas Street and The East Mall Crescent. It served the Eatonville neighbourhood of Etobicoke district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Shipp</span> Canadian businessman (1926–2014)

Harold Gordon Shipp was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and the chairman of Shipp Corporation Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Opitz</span> Canadian politician

Ted J. Opitz, CD is a former Canadian politician and a retired Canadian Forces Lieutenant-Colonel who represented the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2015.

John Volken is a German-Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was the former CEO of United Furniture Warehouse and current founder The John Volken Foundation, which funds several nonprofit enterprises, including John Volken Addiction Recovery Academy, PricePro, and Lift The Children. In 1995, Volken received the Canada's Pacific Region Entrepreneur of the year award for his achievements with United Furniture Warehouse

Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the northeast San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hodan Nalayeh</span> Somali-Canadian social activist and entrepreneur. (1976–2019)

Hodan Nalayeh was a Somali-Canadian media executive, marketing consultant, social activist and entrepreneur. She was president of the Cultural Integration Agency and vice president of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvan Baker</span> Canadian politician (born 1977)

Yvan Baker is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the federal riding of Etobicoke Centre in the 2019 federal election and in the 2021 Canadian federal election. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Prior to entering federal politics, he served as the Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the provincial riding of Etobicoke Centre from 2014 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Maloney (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian politician

James V. Maloney is a Canadian lawyer and politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 election. He represents the electoral district of Etobicoke—Lakeshore as a member of the Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Hogarth</span> Canadian politician

Christine C. G. Hogarth is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of Etobicoke—Lakeshore as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, for which she previously served as Ontario executive director.

goeasy Ltd. is a Canadian alternative financial services company based in Mississauga, Ontario. It operates with three business units – easyfinancial, which offers loans to non-prime borrowers; easyhome, which sells furniture and other durable goods on a lease-to-own basis; and LendCare, a provider of point-of-sale consumer financing.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. As part of the larger closure decisions in Ontario, a stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations.

References

  1. 1 2 DeMontis, Rita (February 1, 2018). "A future with Toronto's Furniture Bank". Toronto Sun . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Reason, Cynthia (26 July 2012). "Furniture Bank offers families a fresh start". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Benitah, Sandie (8 March 2012). "Furniture Bank gives women in need a fresh start". CP24. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 O'Connor, Jennifer (25 November 2006). "Furniture heaven for those in most need; Toronto charity offers clients donated tables, sofas and beds". Toronto Star. ProQuest   43909128.
  5. 1 2 3 Reason, Cynthia (20 March 2013). "Furniture Bank's new location offers clients a true shopping experience". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Press Release: Toronto Chair Affair Gala adds Fathead". Wire Service. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Lee, Amanda. "There's good in the neighbourhood at the Furniture Bank in Etobicoke". Eau Du Soleil. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Usher, Dianne (2 May 2014). "Furniture Bank offers a helping hand". Toronto Sun. Toronto Real Estate Board. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Moorhouse, Ellen (7 September 2012). "Do your old couch a favour". Toronto Star. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 DeCarlo, Sheri (5 June 2012). "Furniture Bank's Chair Affair helps empower families". Torontonicity. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "List of Furniture Banks". Furniture Bank Association of North America. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Furniture Bank needs to find new home". CBC News. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Featured Enterprise". United Way Greater Toronto. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  14. 1 2 Keung, Nicholas (1 October 2010). "Fund boosts unique Furniture Bank". Toronto Star. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Toronto Grants Awarded". Ontario Trillium Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Ferenc, Leslie (3 October 2005). "Stepping stones to a better life". Toronto Star. ProQuest   438895274.
  17. ↑ "Because of you, Matthew is back on his feet". United Way Toronto. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  18. 1 2 Reason, Cynthia (4 October 2012). "Designers bring creative talents to Chair Affair". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Press Release: Fashion meets compassion as the Chair Affair from Furniture Bank returns to Toronto this fall". Wire Service. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Marc Attends Chair Affair 2012". Marc & Mandy. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Reason, Cynthia (4 December 2012). "Chair Affair raises almost $100,000 for the Furniture Bank". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "PricewaterhouseCoopers CEO and staff volunteer at Furniture Bank". Canada NewsWire. 15 September 2005. ProQuest   455579621.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.