Three companies—MGM Transport, Klaussner Furniture Industries, and Natuzzi Soho—donated two tractor-trailer loads of furniture to New York City’s only free furniture bank, launching a nationwide drive by The Greater New York Home Furnishings Association (GNYHFA) to help furnish apartments for families moving from homeless shelters to new, permanent homes. GNYHFA is asking its members—as well as companies across the nation—to donate excess inventory to Furnish a Future, a program of The Partnership for the Homeless, which distributes home furnishings free to formerly homeless New Yorkers.
“GNYHFA’s generous leadership is especially welcome today, with homelessness at record levels in New York City,” said Arnold S. Cohen, President and CEO of The Partnership. “More than 8,000 families currently live in shelters. Most will spend at least a year in the shelters before they find and move to new permanent homes—often with only the possessions they can carry. These leaders of the home furnishings industry understand how important comfortable, welcoming homes are for people struggling to rebuild their lives.”
Members of the Greater New York Home Furnishings Association "cut the ribbon" launching their collaboration with Furnish A Future and their nationwide furniture drive.
L-R: Keith Seigerman of Seigerman's Furniture and President of the GNYHFA; George Massood, MGM Transport; Lou Massood, MGM Transport; Arnold Cohen, President & CEO of the Partnership For The Homeless; Gail Meadoff of Apropos; Peter Avella of Klaussner Furniture Industries; and Francis "Bones" O'Brien of Klaussner.
“This is an opportunity for all sectors of our industry to step forward and make a difference. We are reaching out to furniture manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, home furnishings representatives, designers and retailers,” said Barbara J. Goldstein, Executive Director of GNYHFA.
She added: “We are asking our members and friends: ‘Look in your warehouses, on your showroom floors and in your hearts to give us what you can. Four walls may shelter a family; a comfortable home will nourish them and help them thrive.”
The GNYHFA’s first major donation through this new collaboration includes:
-164 pieces of furniture from MGM Transport, headquartered in Ridgefield, NJ
-178 items of furniture from Klaussner Furniture Industries
-14 items (including sectional sofas) from Natuzzi Soho
MGM Transport is delivering all of the furniture pro bono, with much of the furniture coming from North Carolina. MGM and Cory Home Delivery Services are transporting all future furnishings donated through GNYHFA.
Not only is MGM transporting today’s contributions—it also is donating its own excess furniture. “We are delighted to be able to help families in need,” said Lou Massood.” In addition, when he “did the math,” Massood discovered that generosity can also be cost-effective. “We found it better to donate this merchandise than to sell to a salvage company. Donating to Furnish a Future is easy; we just had to fill out one piece of paper. And clearing up our warehouse inventory allows us to operate more efficiently.”
Massood added, “We are also excited that we could provide our transportation services to move all of this beautiful furniture to Furnish a Future’s warehouse in Brooklyn.”
“Klaussner Furniture Industries is proud to be a part of this collaboration and we feel very honored to be able to help,” said Peter Avella, the company’s New York Sales Rep. “We are a family company, and we are very happy to be able to help needy families furnish their homes.” In addition to today’ donation, companies participating with the GNYHFA drive have made the following contributions:
-A truckload of furniture from Ligne Roset’s Soho store, delivered by Cory
-Lamps donated by Metropolitan Lighting Fixtures
-Home furnishings fabrics given by Carnegie Fabrics
-Sectional sofas and end tables, donated by Value City and delivered by Cory
Members of GNYHFA’s Furnish a Future Advisory Board include: Stanley Cohen of Stan Cohen Furniture Repair; Patrick Cory of Cory Home Delivery Service; interior designer Jamie Drake; Jim Druckman of the New York Design Center; Harley Greenfield of Jennifer Convertible; Barbara Goldstein, Executive Director of the GNYHFA; Lou Massood of MGM Transport; Gail Meadoff of Apropos; interior designer and Furnish a Future spokeswoman Chris Madden; and Keith Seigerman of Seigerman’s Furniture.
For more information on this important program CLICK HERE.
About the Greater New York Home Furnishings Association
The Greater New York Home Furnishings Association is a trade association, with members including home furnishings retailers, representatives, manufacturers, and suppliers to the industry. Its mission is to promote goodwill among, and protect the interests of, the New York home furnishings community. It provides a forum for the interchange of ideas through meetings, professional seminar programs and social events. Located in the New York Design Center, the former New York Furniture Exchange building, the Association has been operating for more than 60 years. Recently, under the leadership of President Keith Seigerman and the Association's Executive Director, Barbara Goldstein, the scope of the organization has been expanded to include the support of charitable organizations such as The Partnership for The Homeless.
About MGM
Transport For more than 50 years, MGM Transport has been providing delivery to the home furnishings industry. Over the years, the company was transformed from a traditional trucking organization to a full-service transportation and logistics operation. Founded by brothers Michael and George Massood, MGM began with a single truck serving the New York Metropolitan area. Today, the company has more than 450 employees and annual revenues of some $40 million. Continuing its commitment to provide innovative solutions to customers, MGM has equipped all its trucks with round-the-clock satellite tracking systems, where customers can gain immediate, real time information about the status of their shipments. MGM continues to expand throughout the entire East Coast and the Midwest. In 2003, MGM added direct delivery from California to the East Coast.
About Klaussner Furniture Industries
From its beginnings as Stuart Furniture of Asheboro, North Carolina, Klaussner Furniture Industries inherited the dedication to customers and work ethic normally associated with a small, family-run business. As the company grew and began expanding its product lines, the family style of management grew with it. Soon, Klaussner Furniture Industries encompassed a wide variety of styles, lines and divisions. Today, Klaussner Furniture Industries is one of the five largest furniture manufacturers in America. Still privately owned, it is very much managed as a family.
About Natuzzi Soho
Natuzzi Group is the world’s leading producer of leather sofas and Italy’s largest furniture manufacturer. The Group is headed by Pasquale Natuzzi, its CEO and designer, who founded it more than four decades ago. About Furnish a Future Furnish a Future, a program of The Partnership for the Homeless, provides home furnishings free of charge to New York City families and individuals who are moving from homeless shelters to permanent new homes. Founded in 1991 as the nation’s first furniture bank, Furnish a Future helps about 2,000 families every year by giving them safe, comfortable homes as they rebuild their lives.