Recycling Furniture for Families sees funds running low

BLOOMINGTON - A Bloomington-based agency that helps people keep a roof over heads needs a helping hand to keep its doors open.

Each week Recycling Furniture for Families gives donated basic household goods to about 18 needy families who are referred by social service agencies or churches. Their average income is $10,836 a year.

Keith Skinner, director of the nondenominational Christian charity with offices at 515 N. Center St., said the usual $18,000 to $20,000 in the checkbook was well under $5,000 last week.

But bills keep coming and employees need paychecks. Skinner also worries about paying interest on a loan to stay open. "We are one paycheck away from doing that. We are definitely doing a lot of praying."

The charity helped 579 people from May 2008 to April 2009, and 12,000 people since 2002.

Among them was mother of a 2-month-old baby, who slept on a deflated air mattress for five months. She lost everything in an out-of-state fire and moved here to live with family. When she and her boyfriend got her own apartment, they had nothing to furnish it with, but the agency gave them the basics needed to start again.

Another mother with a newborn baby had nowhere for her child to sleep. "We hadn't had a crib in a month -a crib came in that morning," said Skinner.

The agency is supported mostly by donations from individuals, businesses, community and church groups. A $2,600 federal grant covering roughly one-sixth of monthly expenses has not been received since April.

The agency needs a minimum of $15,000 monthly to meet expenses. "We are very short of this goal," said Skinner. Moving trucks donated by State Farm Insurance Cos. and Hundman Lumber Co. helped a lot, but it costs money to run them.

"If five people give us $20 each, that's enough to fill the tank on one of the trucks," said Skinner

Jennifer Nettleton, director of homeless services for PATH, the 24-hour Twin City-based crisis information and referral agency, said the agency is among nine county agencies behind in receiving payments from the federal Continuum of Care for Homeless Services program. No reason has been given.

"Many agencies are close to running out of money to keep operating programs," she said.

Recycling's annual budget of $150,000 to $180,000 goes toward meeting payroll, heating and cooling an 8,000-square-foot warehouse, keeping two box trucks and a van running, and insurance.

Skinner, who took a 50 percent pay cut from teaching to become director 18 months ago, is the only full-time employee. Four work part-time.

About 1,000 volunteer hours are donated monthly to help keep the warehouse stocked with 1,000 pieces of Furniture. Skinner estimates it needs to be restocked monthly.

Among items needed are card tables, kitchen tables and chairs, beds, mattresses, dressers, lamps, bedding, bath towels, microwaves and small appliances, and all kitchen items, especially knives, forks and spoons, and pots and pans.

The wait time to get Furniture is now down to about a week, he said.

"A woman fleeing domestic violence doesn't take a frying pan with her," said Skinner. Televisions are also especially welcome - it's affordable entertainment, Skinner said.

Volunteers are needed for office work, organizing donations, and Furniture repair. Drivers and people to load and deliver Furniture also needed, said Skinner. Besides traditional volunteers, some who help are doing community service to qualify for public aid. Others volunteer instead of a jail sentence. He's seen lives transformed by helping others.

"They see how God moves - there's a lot more going on here other than just Furniture," said Skinner.