Items donated to non-profit "Household Goods" help Massachusetts families find fresh start
ACTON – A Massachusetts non-profit is putting out the call for used furniture to provide a fresh start to local families in need.
Household Goods in Acton is an organization that through donations helps people who have fallen on hard times furnish their homes for free.
The non-profit helps people like Colleen, who was recently shopping for herself and her three children.
"It makes a huge difference because the stuff I have is destroyed," she said.
Thousands of homes are furnished each year
Colleen's is just one of about 2,900 homes that the organization furnishes every year.
"This is a terrific opportunity to give my kids and I, a chance to start over with all new things and have a good go at it," Colleen said.
Sharon Martens is the executive director of Household Goods.
"For people who are recently homeless, have left a domestic violence situation, are low income, it's really hard to afford basic household items that we all use every day," Martens said.
Household Goods continues to grow
WBZ-TV first introduced you to Martens' team in 2019, before the COVID pandemic.
Since then, Household Goods has undergone a $2.2 million expansion and taken on about 200 more homes, making the need for donations greater than ever.
"Every day we need between 12 and 24 couches, we need about 20 beds," Martens said.
Hope for a new beginning
To meet this ever-growing need, Household Goods is partnering with Barrett Sotheby's. Through Friday, April 12, you can drop off unwanted furniture at their office in Concord Center.
"It's so much easier to donate something knowing that it's going to a good cause than to simply drop it off someplace, and the fact that it's local," real estate broker Amy Barrett said.
A team of 1,500 volunteers then takes those items, organizes them, and either in person or through a Zoom with volunteer Glenn Rifkin, clients can handpick their new furnishings for free.
"I'm sending this person home with a whole house full of furnishings. It's just a beautiful thing," Rifkin said.
Clients take home with them not only a new couch or kitchen table, but also hope for a new beginning.
It has been a true community effort. Viking Movers, a local moving company, also volunteered its time and trucks to pick up bulky furniture this weekend.
