398 Chestnut Street, Union, New Jersey 07083

(973) 868-6007 www.furnitureassist.com

Newsletter Issue 2010

Letter from the President

One word sums up what has happened at Furniture

Assist. WOW! I would like to thank all of our
supporters and volunteers who helped us provide a
helping hand to over 1700 families in 2009. While
we provide the items free, the value of the goods
distributed, (thrift shop values) was over $350,000.
In 2010, we are on a pace to help even more families.
This is a reflection of the economic times. If we had
the resources, we could help even more. With the
social agencies referring only those most in need,
there is still an average three month wait from request
to appointment.
Why is this? Those who donate items are great. In
2009, over 1900 families gave us items. This means
we have kept tons of items out of the landfill. Like
all non-profits, we are limited by our financial
donations. We encourage donations that fit in a car
to be brought to us. We would love volunteers to
open our drop off center during a weekday evening.
We now ask the donors that we pick up for a small
donation to cover our costs.
Our volunteers are the key to our success. We have
no paid staff. Volunteers are needed on Sundays and
most days during the week. Volunteers are
individuals seeking to help, former clients paying it
forward, civic organizations and high school
students needing community service. 2009 saw the
addition of volunteers from Kintock (a half-way
house) and from the Union County Prosecutors
Office. Many hands make light work. There is
always a need for volunteers.
Again, I thank you all for your interest and support of
Furniture Assist.
Sincerely,
C. Dawson Yeomans

In order to assist more clients, we must increase our

donations. In 2009 we have made much progress.
The Westfield JCs do one pickup each month. The
Westfield Optimists and Westfield Rotary in
cooperation with PODS Storage Containers do a
drive at the Westfield Pool each Spring. We have
agreements with 1-800-Got-Junk, with College
Hunks and several other cleanout services to bring
usable items to us. We have concentrated our truck Furniture Assist President C. Dawson Yeomans with
resources on hotels, universities and apartment Don Crocker, Executive Director/CEO of The
complexes undergoing renovation. In 2009/2010, Support Center for Non Profit Management at the
these have included Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, New 2010 PSEG Foundation Grantee Networking
York University and University Ridge Apartments. Breakfast
These donors provide truck loads of items.
 Furniture Assist, Inc.
398 Chestnut Street
Union, New Jersey 07083
973-868-6007
973-268-1130 Fax
www.furnitureassist.com

President Section One: News and Activities

Dawson Yeomans

Secretary Furniture Assist Participates in Deloittes Impact Day

Sheila Wilten
To increase awareness in our organization and to receive guidance in three critical areas,
Treasurer strategic planning, fundraising and marketing, Furniture Assist (FA) participated in Impact
Kassie Smith Day 2009. Impact Day is a day of community service for the US employees of the global
professional services firm Deloitte. Furniture Assist actually hosted two Deloitte volunteer
Trustees groups. One group of approximately 20 volunteers gathered at our warehouse in
Antonio Alexander Kenilworth on the first Friday in June to unload donated furniture and to help organize
Jill D. Brown sheds of books, dishes, and toys in addition to furniture in preparation for client meetings.
David W. Buckman Another 20 Deloitte volunteers met on the same day for a skills-based program at St. Luke
Michael Chirichella and All Saints Episcopal Church in Union, NJ which serves as Furniture Assist
Tom Conniff headquarters. The Furniture Assist Board of Directors participated with Deloitte volunteers
Larry Millus at both locations for Impact Day.
Paul Roth
Jennifer Scott For the skills-based program the Deloitte volunteers and the Furniture Assist Board
Paul R. Stierhoff members divided into three groups to brainstorm about three areas crucial to Furniture
Assists future success strategic planning, fund raising and marketing. Not only did the
group session produce some very interesting and actionable ideas, including using social
networking to generate awareness of FA, additional resources to find volunteers, and
pursuing partnerships with local for profit organizations, they also created some new FA
fans. At both sites, the Deloitte volunteers seemed genuinely interested in FA and inspired
by what we are trying to accomplish in the community. Impact Day was a tremendous
success on all fronts and FA hopes to continue its participation.

Hotels and Schools Donations

Furniture Assist (FA) receives many significant donations from large institutions. When
apartment complexes and hotel chains remodel their rooms (typically every few years),
they face a choice of paying for hauling and dumping, or finding another way to dispose of
their furniture and fixtures. Many turn to the National Furniture Bank for help. We work
with professional societies (like the National Furniture Bank) movers, national relocation
firms, and remodeling firms.

Our ability to work with large donors depends on the items they have available and their
physical distance from our storage sheds. Practically, Furniture Assist is limited to about a
100-mile radius. Furniture Assist requires donated items to be on the first floor. Furniture
Assist always brings at least two people to move the items, but occasionally the donor will
provide help.

We collected desks, couches, beds and pictures from donors such as New York, Columbia
and Princeton Universities, Days Inn, Marriott Corp, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and
Hilton. Most recently we picked up 396 mattresses from a college apartment complex in
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Furniture Assist is an organization, that runs completely on volunteers and donations, that serves families in New
Jersey. Furniture Assist accepts donation of household items in new or good condition on Sundays from 11am to
2:30pm in Kenilworth, NJ. These items are them given to families and individuals with a determined need, and a
referral from a recognized social agency.
 Furniture Assist, Inc.
398 Chestnut Street
Union, New Jersey 07083
973-868-6007
973-268-1130 Fax
www.furnitureassist.com

Westfield Fifth Grade Dance Supports Furniture Assist

Fifth graders gathered at the Westfield YMCA Bauer Family Center on East Broad Street Friday
night, May 29, 2009 for the town's first ever dance for all students in the grade. Jill Brown, the
founder of ItsMyLocker.com and co-founder of Furniture Assist, said the dance was designed as
a way to promote a sense of community amongst the fifth graders who will start coming together
at the town's intermediate schools in sixth grade. Proceeds from ticket sales and food and
beverage sales were donated to Furniture Assist. The Dance was a way to bring kids together to
have fun while also telling them about the importance of community involvement and helping
others.

The dance received a strong show of support from

the Westfield Police Department, with Chief John
Parizeau and several officers helping to chaperone in
plain clothes. Over a dozen parents assisted with the
evening, including chaperoning and serving snacks."I
think anything that teaches kids how to give back to
charity is a good thing," said Michelle Haar, a
Tamaques Elementary School parent. The Westfield
5th graders raised over $700 for Furniture Assist.

Furniture Assist Attends Basking Ridge Charter Day

Furniture Assist conducted a charitable donation drive for Charter Day in Basking Ridge, NJ on May 15th 2010 from
11 AM to 5 PM. Charter Day celebrated the day that Bernards Township was granted a charter by King George of
England. This year marked the 250th anniversary of Bernards Township. The event attracted over 12,000 visitor and
dignitaries. There were rides for children, concerts, and dozens of vendors selling goods and services ranging from
popcorn to chiropractic care. Furniture Assist used its participation in Charter Day as a way to generate awareness
about the organization and raise money for our activities.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Furniture Assist is an organization, that runs completely on volunteers and donations, that serves families in New
Jersey. Furniture Assist accepts donation of household items in new or good condition on Sundays from 11am to
2:30pm in Kenilworth, NJ. These items are them given to families and individuals with a determined need, and a
referral from a recognized social agency.
 Furniture Assist, Inc.
398 Chestnut Street
Union, New Jersey 07083
973-868-6007
973-268-1130 Fax
www.furnitureassist.com

Section Two: Supporters and Volunteers

SUPPORTERS

Furniture Assist counts on the support of financial donors to allow us to continue our mission. We sincerely thank
all of our financial contributors in 2009 for their support and belief in the efforts of Furniture Assist.

$10,000 + $100 $499

Henry S. & Agnes M. Truzack Foundation Jill Brown

David and Cheryl Buckman
$5,000 $9,999 Lawrence & Lisa Millus
Charles Mueller
Bernard & Dorothy Hamstra First Congregational Church Westfield
Charitable Foundation First Presbyterian Church of Cranford
Presbyterian Church in Westfield First Unitarian Society of Plainfield
State of New Jersey Office of Carl Gincley
Faith Based Initiatives Ellen Greenberg
The Westfield Foundation Jennifer Scott
Carole Smillie & Leonard Avdey
$1,000 $4,999 St Luke & All Saints Episcopal
Church
Fanwood Presbyterian Church St. Peters Church
Fred C. Rummel Foundation Donna Steinmetz
Investors Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Paul & Valerie Stierhoff
Lewis M Gabbe Foundation Hugh and Katharine Stierhoff Charitable Fund
Thomas Glasser Foundation Jet & Susan Taylor
Westfield Welcome Club Sheila Wilten (Compusolve Computer
Westfield Service League Group Inc.)
Westfield Rotary Club Foundation Dawson & Sandy Yeomans
Westfield Y Mens Club
ZBI Employee Allocated Gift Fund $1 $99

$500 $999 Birthright of Essex County

William & Nora Crandall
Anonymous Pamela Gedman
Frank and Lorraine Rodger Family Foundation Ernest Pianezza Jr.
Junior Womens Club of Westfield Michael Roundtree
PSEG Foundation Carol & Pompillio Russo
Robert John Boileau Jamie Szewczuk
The Rotary Club of Union Daniel & Jennifer Schildge
Thomas and Loretta Conniff Terry & Rosemary Schultz
William & Deborah Clark Georgia Scott-Martin
Lauren Siegel (Liss Health
Management Inc.)
Kassie Smith

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Furniture Assist is an organization, that runs completely on volunteers and donations, that serves families in New
Jersey. Furniture Assist accepts donation of household items in new or good condition on Sundays from 11am to
2:30pm in Kenilworth, NJ. These items are them given to families and individuals with a determined need, and a
referral from a recognized social agency.
 Furniture Assist, Inc.
398 Chestnut Street
Union, New Jersey 07083
973-868-6007
973-268-1130 Fax
www.furnitureassist.com

VOLUNTEERS

For Furniture Assist to effectively operate our open houses we need at least 10-15 volunteers every week. In 2009
volunteers supplied over 4,137 hours of volunteer service. We appreciate the efforts of all of our volunteers who
donate their time and effort to make Furniture Assist work efficiently. We would like to especially recognize those
individuals and organizations that volunteer or supply volunteers on a regular basis.

Individuals
Dennis Austin Organizations
Deborah Batson Another Chance
Susan Bonina Apostles House
Laura Cioffi Holy Trinity Church, Westfield
David Gamble Merck
Sy Getchberg NJCRI
Mary Lou Klein Presbyterian Church in Westfield
RJ Klein St. Helens Church, Westfield
Georgia Martin St Luke & All Saint Church, Union
Wanda Mayers Temple Emanu-El, Westfield
Marge Nichols Westfield JCs
Joe Quinones Westfield Optimists
Alfonso Richard Westfield Rotary
Carol Smillie Zeta-Phi-Beta Sorority, Kean Univ.
Willie Watkins
Tracy Williams
Chris Wronski
Matthew Wronski
Steve Wronski
Sandy Yeomans

Section Three: Lending a Hand!

Furniture Assist can always use volunteers for our operations on Sundays. We are open every Sunday (except July 4,
2010) from 11am to 2:30pm at the Self Storage Depot, 400 North 14th Street in Kenilworth. We need volunteers on
those days to assist in both accepting donations and in distributing items. Please volunteer a few hours of your day to
lend a hand!

The Board of Trustees meets on the fourth Thursday of the month (except for November and December, when it is
the third Thursday of the month). The meetings are held at St. Luke & All Saints Episcopal Church at 398 Chestnut
Street, Union NJ, and are open to the public, so please feel free to stop in. Times for the remaining meetings in 2010
are:

June 25, 12 noon 2:00pm

July 22, 12 noon 2:00pm
August 26, 7pm 9:00pm
September 23, 12 noon 2:00pm
October 28, 12 noon 2:00pm
November 18, 7pm 9:00pm
December 16, 12 noon 2:00pm
 Furniture Assist, Inc.
398 Chestnut Street
Union, New Jersey 07083
973-868-6007
973-268-1130 Fax
www.furnitureassist.com

President
Dawson Yeomans Furniture Assist wishes to thank all who
Secretary help
Sheila Wilten
To our Clients, we hope that we can assist in your goal of independence.
Treasurer To our donors, your items are greatly appreciated by all who receive.
Kassie Smith To the agencies, your screening insures that those who receive are in need.
To the volunteers, you are what make distribution days and truck pickups
Trustees possible.
Antonio Alexander To all the organizations that help spread the word and locate clients, donors and
Jill D. Brown volunteers.
David W. Buckman
To all who assist financially, your donations allow us to purchase items/services
Michael Chirichella
that must be purchased.
Tom Conniff
To all named in this newsletter and the larger number whom we have failed to
Larry Millus
mention, but not forgotten.
Paul Roth
Jennifer Scott
Paul R. Stierhoff Thank You!
A Stepping Stone to Success.

Furniture Assist, Inc.

398 Chestnut Street
Union, NJ 07083
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