Furniture Sharehouse is a small homegrown not-for-profit based in Westchester County,
NY. The Sharehouse provides gently-used furniture free of charge directly to
local families in need, enabling them to create a comfortable and stable home
so they can rebuild their lives with dignity.
This organization was started by Kate Bialo, a Larchmont resident who
saw families struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Irene. Kate secured funding from the Junior League of Westchester and with a matching grant from HUD, leased warehouse space at
the Westchester County Airport. The Sharehouse has been open for donations
and deliveries since 2007 and has distributed over 40,000 pieces of furniture
to over 2,500 families.
I first heard about Furniture Sharehouse
in 2012 when I was looking for a local not-for-profit which could utilize my
marketing and web design skills. I went
online to the Volunteer NY website and narrowed my selection down to three local
charities. After reading their mission and talking to one of their volunteer organizers, I decided to visit the
Sharehouse in person during client hours.
I stayed the entire morning, following different volunteers and
assisting with clients. I was hooked. I came back the next day and then again and
again over the next two months.
As the Sharehouse is open for clients
during the week, I cannot make it too often due to work responsibilities but I
try to get there at least once per quarter.
What I can (and do) do for the Sharehouse is provide marketing expertise. I devised a social media marketing strategy
for the organization to complement their existing communications and have been running
the day to day communities for the past eighteen months.
The biggest challenge the Sharehouse
faces is awareness. There is a great
deal of furniture that is discarded every year and even a greater need in
families needing furniture. Once people
learn about the Sharehouse, they love it and donate and/or volunteer
regularly. What sets the Sharehouse apart
from other organizations that collect used furniture is that the Sharehouse
gives the furniture directly to needy individuals and families free of charge;
other organizations such as Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill etc.,
collect furniture to resell in their stores.
While name/brand recognition is slowly climbing, Furniture Sharehouse’s reputation
continues to soar.
Furniture Sharehouse’s tag line is: Help Make A House A Home and their logo nicely plays off ‘house’ with a pitched roof. To learn more about the Sharehouse, please visit their website www.furnituresharehouse.org.
Join the Sharehouse community:
Join the Sharehouse community:
Facebook www.facebook.com/FurnitureSharehouse
Twitter twitter.com/furnsharehouse
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