Learn about City Union Mission's Furniture Bank Program from Dennis Chapman, City Union Mission Chief Development Officer

You know, we have an opportunity to say to folks, "We can help you, and this is how we'll help you." 

First of all we want to be sure that they're income qualified, that they're not going to four or five agencies and getting items that they're then turning around and pawning or doing things with. 

We want to treat them with respect, and we want to respect our donors. We take great strides to ensure that they are genuinely in need of the items that they're shopping for. We'll have a dozen or so folks every month that will be able to take advantage of the furniture program, and we wouldn't be able to offer that if there wasn't some type of steady stream. We could maybe do it this month, but next month okay can't help you.

When we can say to them, we can provide furniture and something for you to sit on and sleep on, generally speaking a family of three will get to come and pick out three items. A family of four gets to pick out four items, and five, six if they're a family of six then they get to pick out six items. Those can be made up of end tables, to chairs, to couches, anything that is on hand at the time.