High Point Furniture Bank Ready for Donations

Furniture World Magazine

The National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA), the home furnishings industry’s charitable organization, will be accepting donations of furniture from exhibitors at High Point Market in October. On behalf of the NFBA, MGM Transport Corp. will collect furniture directly from exhibitors' showrooms. While all donations are greatly appreciated, the organization is particularly in need of dining room tables, chairs, sofas or sofa beds, lamps, comforters and other bedding materials. All donations are fully tax deductible. The National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA) represents nearly seventy furniture banks across the country. Furniture banks are non-profit organizations which collect gently-used furniture from the general public and the home furnishings industry, and provide it to children and families in need. Typical furniture bank clients are women and children escaping domestic violence, victims of natural disasters such as hurricanes, and working families living below the poverty line. No child in America should have to sleep on the floor. Kimberley Wray, vice president of marketing and communications for the High Point Market Authority, said that the NFBA provides a way for exhibitors to save money while doing something good for people in need. “For many of our exhibitors, it just doesn’t make financial sense to ship display merchandise back to their warehouses,” Wray noted. “Donating furniture directly to the NFBA is a win-win situation for everybody involved.” In 2005 the NFBA served 40,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, but only scratched the surface. Over a year later the NFBA still receives dozens of calls each week from families trying to rebuild their lives. The NFBA Board of Directors are the leaders of the home furnishings industry, Fortune 500 business executives, and founders of some of the most successful furniture banks in the country. The NFBA Directors are: Ray Allegrezza, Editor-in-Chief, Furniture/Today; Sharron Bradley, Executive Director, Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA); Steve DeHaan, Executive Vice President, National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA); Mary Frye, President, Home Furnishings International Association (HFIA); Chuck Haas, CEO, MetroFi; Tom Polk, Founder, Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta; Jeff Hay, Founder, Material Assistance Providers of Columbus Ohio; Oli Mohammed, Executive Director, Furniture Bank of Houston; and, Carol Kane, Founder, Mustard Seed of Central Florida. To donate furniture from your showroom in High Point or to become a financial sponsor of the NFBA, please contact Don Lawrence, NFBA vice president of communications, at dlawrence@help1up.org or (800) 576-0774. Please visit Help1Up.org for more information or to become a corporate sponsor. About the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA) The NFBA is the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of the home furnishings industry. Supported by sponsorships, its mission is to increase the service capacity of existing furniture banks, and open new ones in areas without one. No child in America should have to sleep on the floor. Kathy Ireland is the Help1Up Ambassador. Contact the NFBA for sponsorship opportunities. About International Home Furnishings Market The International Home Furnishings Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 80,000 people to High Point every six months. Featuring 188 Buildings, 12 Million Square Feet of Showspace, and 70,000 Attendees each Market, the International Home Furnishings Market is what the furniture industry calls home.