Spare Furniture Or a Pickup Truck?

DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE

Have any lightly used furniture that you no longer use? Or, strong arms and/or a pickup truck? The Furniture Project of Orange County would love to hear from you.

For more than 13 years, The Furniture Project has provided free furniture to people in need in Orange County, helping more than 1,350 families and 1,000 children who were sleeping on floors. Durham and Chatham Counties now have sister projects, too.

Jane Hathaway, the founder and driving force behind the Projects, saw the need firsthand more than a decade ago. She was helping a domestic violence survivor who was eventually able to get a job and move into an apartment with her four children.

A few weeks later, the woman called and said: “I need furniture for my children, and no one has helped me…Jane, you gotta fix this.” A flood hit Chapel Hill shortly after, creating more need, and the Project quickly expanded.

One of the earliest volunteers, Tom Driscoll, remembered initially doubting the project could work: “I said people just aren’t that generous, and you don’t even have a truck.”

“But,” he said, “I was 100% wrong. It all came together. It just took off. Jane is a force of nature and would not let this program die. It is unbelievable how many people we’ve served.”

The organization operates entirely with volunteers and minimal funding, working with 18+ partner organizations, including many churches and synagogues. In Orange County, St. Thomas More Church sponsors the Project and provides a website.

Jane didn’t want to create a more formal nonprofit organization. She said: “We’re all volunteers. We don’t ask for funds, although sometimes people donate money. We appreciate that because we do have to pay for storage.”

They store furniture in nearby storage units until it can be delivered. Jane said the rental rate for storage units has increased by 50 percent recently, so the Project now spends between $550 and $750 monthly to store donated furniture that hasn’t been requested yet.

The Project has no formal meetings; volunteers respond to weekly emails about pickup/delivery opportunities based on their own availability. Once a year, the volunteers throw a party to share stories of mishaps (“remember when that piece flew off your truck?”) and appreciation (“she cried when we brought in the bed for her daughter.”)

Folks who need furniture are identified and referred by organizations such as the Compass Center, the Veteran’s Administration, the Interfaith Council, and the Men’s and Women’s Shelters. One in five families in Orange County live in poverty. Many of those who use the homeless shelters have jobs but cannot afford housing, let alone furniture.

Furniture donations are unusually low right now, so if you can do without that extra bed or mattress, lamp, end table, small sofa, table or chairs, get in touch. And, if you want to feel the gratitude personally, volunteer to help pick up and deliver! Email or call Jane Hathaway at 919-612-2759 / FurnitureProjectoc@gmail.com. Financial and furniture donations are tax deductible.

In this season of gratitude, I am thankful for Jane, Tom and their volunteers, and projects like this one that work hard to help our neighbors in need.

Jane D. Brown taught in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media for 35 years and has lived in Chapel Hill since 1977. This reporter can be reached at Information@TheLocalReporter.press