Grand Opening of the Philadelphia Furniture Bank
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Philadelphia Furniture Bank celebrates Grand Opening to provide free furniture for Philly’s formerly homeless families.
WHAT: Community members will kick-off the grand opening of a new and one-of-its- kind collaborative venture, The Philadelphia Furniture Bank (PFB), a project of Pathways to Housing PA on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 from 2-4pm. Guests are invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony and to tour the 20,000 square foot warehouse that will provide donated furniture at no cost to individuals and families moving from homelessness to permanent housing.
WHY: Home is more than four walls. When individuals and families finally move off the streets and into housing, their new homes are often empty. After expenses such as food, utilities and rent are paid, these families often have nothing left for even the most basic household furnishings. Without furniture, it’s nearly impossible to create a stable, welcoming home environment. Families stay in shelters longer, waiting for furniture so they can move into homes. Staff frequently spend precious time helping participants furnish their apartments, looking for furniture donations and very low-cost household items. This is time that they could instead spend serving participants in other crucial ways like driving them to reconnect with family, helping them complete a job or school application, or teaching them to cook a simple meal.
WHERE: Philadelphia Furniture Bank, 3412 “J” Street, Lower Level, Philadelphia, PA 19134
WHEN: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 from 2:00-4:00pm Light refreshments will be served.
BACKGROUND: No child should sleep on the floor. No family should be without a dining table. Everyone should have a place to keep their clean clothes and treasured belongings. These are the simple, human goals of the Philadelphia Furniture Bank (PFB) - turning empty houses into welcoming homes by providing no-cost furnishings to those in need.
PFB will provide free furniture to the poorest Philadelphia residents, people who would otherwise sleep and eat on the floor in the first real home they have had in years. Recipients will include: formerly homeless individuals and families, victims of domestic violence looking for a safe environment, those suffering with mental illness or chemical dependency, working families struggling to stay make ends meet, victims of natural disasters and fires, young adults leaving foster care and refugee families.
The opening of the Philadelphia Furniture Bank is made possible by generous sponsors including: The Barra Foundation, The City of Philadelphia, Diamond Furniture, Titan Power, Sheller Family Foundation, Warehouse 34, HAFI and the McLean Contributionship.
For more information, visit www.phillyfurniturebank.org
