New Life Furniture Bank designs with a heart!
New Life Furniture Bank (NLFB) was founded in 2006 by Holly Young, Tim Nabors, and volunteers from Milford First United Methodist Church in partnership with Interfaith Hospitality Network. Since that time, NLFB has grown to be a formidable and well-known area resource.
The organization collects gently used furniture and other household items and furnishes homes for needy individuals and families. It is a place that has brought hope to people who often do not have the resources to purchase items such as beds, couches, tables, desks, and all that makes a place a home.
NLFB currently serves over 1,300 households per year and partners with over 50 social service agencies — including the Center for Respite Care (the Center). NLFB was an honoree of the Center’s Transformation Awards 2023.
The Center is delighted to share that client Maury Robb’s new apartment was furnished and decorated through NLFB’s program, Design with a Heart. Maury was nominated for this program by his Center case manager who thought that he would be a really good candidate.
The big reveal showcased decor consistent with Maury’s vision and style. Designer-Decorator Betsy Jo Wesley from Rediscovered Dwellings was at the helm.
Once selected for the program, NLFB receives a wish list. Participants can request up to 15 pieces of furniture. Once they receive the keys to their new home, NLFB drivers pick up items from the organization’s warehouse and make delivery.
We recently talked with NLFB’s executive director, Dana Saxton. She explained the process for the selection of individuals to receive the Design with a Heart services.
“We have a program called Design with a Heart which is where we partner with a local interior designer who provides some services and helps with furnishing a home and getting it ready for a nominated individual or family. The individuals that are nominated are often people who have successfully completed a program with the agency that’s supporting them. It’s up to the agency to decide who might be a really good candidate. This is also a way for us to raise awareness about what we do.
The designer and our team met with Maury, toured his apartment, and learned about his hopes for the look of his new home, his favorite color and style. They did some space cleaning planning with him and then the designer came back to our warehouse and selected the furnishings. We also added in some home décor – like pictures and other artwork — just a little extra for that nominated individual.”
The Design with a Heart program designs and decorates about two homes a month. This is in addition to the over 50 homes a week to which the organization provides furniture items.
Thank you, New Life Furniture Bank, for the Design with a Heart program and all you do in our community to turn empty houses into homes, thereby giving people hope and dignity.
