Donated furniture helps those in need

The Renesting Project is ready and willing to assist if you have gently used furniture or household appliances that you want to go to a worthy cause.

Executive Director Emily Jo Manchester-Sanden, CNP, said, “Renesting Project is a community furniture bank. So, our mission is to gather gently used furniture and household items and then redistribute them to those in need here in northwest Louisiana. We do that by accepting donations. Our volunteers sort, clean, do minor repairs and pack those items for our clients.”

She said clients come to them through over 60 regional partner agencies.

“So, we work with places like Providence House, the VA Hospital, Choices and Easter Seals—just a ton of organizations already serving populations in need.

“Once those agencies help our clients get into housing or reset their lives, we help provide furniture and household items to turn their new housing from an empty space into a home.”

Manchester-Sanden said the organization is “volunteer powered”; volunteers do everything from maintaining the warehouse to helping set up donations in clients’ homes. She said they are always in need of volunteers, too, and are actively soliciting new members.

“As a 501(c) 3, all our donations are tax deductible. So, we will happily provide a receipt. Because we are a non-profit, obviously, fundraising is a huge part of what we do.

“We have our annual fundraiser, re2023, coming on Sept. 16. Tickets are on sale now for $55 on our website, www.re2023.GiveSmart.com.

“The theme is ‘A September to Remember,’ so it’s what we’re calling a decade party. We’re asking guests to dress to express their favorite decades. You know, kind of do a throwback. There will be food and drinks and a karaoke deejay. There will be games and some photo booths. It will be a super fun event.”

If you are interested in their service, Manchester-Sanden suggests visiting their Facebook site. “We have a pickup service. We have a box truck that our warehouse coordinator drives to donors’ homes to pick up two or more pieces of furniture. We do charge a small fee to help us cover the diesel [fuel] and the manpower to provide that service. It’s a $35 fee. You can fill out a request form and pay the fee on our website by clicking the donate tab and scrolling down to ‘furniture pickup.’” re2023: A September to Remember is one of Renesting Project’s largest fundraisers of the year.

This fundraiser helps pay the rent and ensures the charity can purchase mattresses, bed frames and pillows, which their clients need and are hard to keep on hand.

“They can visit us on Facebook; we’re always updating our top 10 needs list and volunteer opportunities,” she added. “There is a donate tab to let people know the items we accept and how to get them to us. We’re open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 5 and the second and fourth Saturday of every month from 10 to 2.”