Furniture Banks Let You Re-Home Your Old Sofa

I had an old sofa bed that needed a good cleaning, but otherwise it was in pretty good shape. We were moving and I needed to get rid of it. I offered it on Freecycle but no takers. We ended up leaving it for the new people on the understanding that, if they didn't want it, we would have it removed.

The problem could have been avoided if I'd known about furniture banks before we moved. Furniture banks will let you re-home your old sofa instead of having it end up in the landfill. Here's how it works.
Furniture banks provide furniture and housewares to people in need through referrals from associations such as the YWCA. The idea is to help people who have become homeless through natural disasters, as well as battered women and children, refugees and immigrants, seniors and working families living below the poverty line.

If you have the means, you can drop your gently-used furniture off at a furniture bank location or you can have them pick it up. Some furniture banks will pick the furniture up for free. Others will charge you a fee per piece and then give you an income tax receipt. The driver, with a helper, has the last say as to whether or not the furniture is acceptable as a donation.

Furniture is then steam-cleaned and passed on to an appreciative family or individual who, for whatever reason, find themselves in financial difficulty.

Beds, pots and pans and dressers seem to be most in demand. Be sure to visit the furniture bank website to review the list of items they can and can't accept.


List of Furniture Banks in Canada

In Ontario - Furniture Bank, 25 Connell Ct #1, Toronto, Tel. 416-934-1229

Scarborough Center For Healthy Communities, Social Support Program, 4100 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough, Tel. 416-847–4142

Hope Furniture Bank, Niagara Falls - 3531 Portage Rd., Suite 16, Niagara Falls, ON, Tel. 905-356-4673

Mississauga Furniture Bank, #302 - 1599 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, Tel. 647-361-6950

The Furniture Bank of Ottawa, 340 Legget Drive, Ottawa, Tel. 613-240-6680

In British Columbia - HomeStart Foundation, 1530 Rand Ave Vancouver, BC V6P 3G2, Tel. 604-708-9556

In Nova Scotia - Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank - 2415 Maynard Street Halifax, Tel. 902-425-2125

If you have furniture or other household necessities like lamps and kitchen items that you no longer want, you can help others by donating them to a furniture bank in your area. You'll be helping some deserving family furnish their home. And that's a whole lot better than contributing to our over-crowded landfills.

RELATED LINKS
How to Recycle Electronics and Other Toxic Waste
Attention Beauty Junkies - Now Your Can Recycle Too
Scientists Research Innovative Ways to Recycle Christmas Trees


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Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and Dollar Store Diva. She writes tips and ideas for finding and using the best the dollar store has to offer.