Help1Up Offers New Furniture Bank Sponsorship Level

May 29, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on May 2007 The National Furniture Bank Association, Decatur, Ga., has announced an additional sponsorship level, “Help1Up Friend,” to accommodate individuals and corporations of all sizes wishing to get involved with furniture banks.

NFBA administers Help1Up, the home furnishings industry’s free, socially responsible, and environmentally friendly used furniture removal service for the general public. The service is made possible through a network of dozens of furniture banks across the country, which then provide the furnishings directly to families in need. Typical recipients of the used furniture are women and children escaping domestic violence, families living below the poverty line, and victims of natural disasters.

The new Help1Up Friend sponsorship is $100.

“We’ve had many requests from individuals asking how they can support us,” said NFBA Executive Director Don Lawrence. “People who become a Help1Up Friend are not only ensuring that we can keep opening more furniture banks, but they also demonstrate their commitment publicly and setting an example for others to follow.”

Help1Up Friends will be listed on the Help1Up.org Web site, and receive a Help1Up lapel pin.

Kathy Parks, the executive director of International Home Furnishings Representatives Association and a member of the NFBA Board of Directors, said the Help1Up Friend sponsorship will engage a large segment of the home furnishings industry.

“Representatives tell me all the time they think the NFBA is a fantastic organization,” stated Parks, “and now they have a way to get involved.”

Smaller retailers, manufacturers, designers, and others in the industry asked the NFBA to create a lower-cost sponsorship than the previous entry level of $1,000.

“There are many retailers in the HFIA with only one or two locations,” said Home Furnishings International Association (HFIA) president Mary Frye, also on the NFBA Board of Directors. “A $1,000 sponsorship might require a plan for a return on the investment, but $100 is an easy decision to help children and families in need. Most of us spend $100 on things that don’t make any long term difference to anyone.”

Contact the NFBA at (800) 576-0774 for more information on Help1Up Friend sponsorships.