Volunteers encourage students to donate furniture to charity

Unwanted furniture might be the last thing on the minds of IU's graduating seniors, but Anne Pollard and Ned Wenstrup know from seeing curbside couches the lack of options students have when moving out at the end of the year.\nPollard and Wenstrup are volunteers for Bloomington's chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an international nonprofit charitable organization for the impoverished. For the last 15 years, the Catholic service has collected used furniture from locals to deliver to those in need.\n"This time of year is a great opportunity for us to be able to get furniture from people, especially students (who) are leaving and maybe don't even know what to do with their furniture," Pollard said.\nLocals can request assistance by contacting St. Paul's Church. After volunteers from the St. Vincent de Paul Society collect phone messages for furniture requests, two volunteers will make a home visit to assess the need of aid. Vouchers good for a year for furniture and appliances are given out as needed, and volunteers can also refer clients to other services, depending on their type of need.\n"We work like a network here in the community," Pollard said of St. Vincent de Paul's teamwork with other organizations like Middle Way House, the Community Action Program and the Bloomington Housing Authority.\nAnyone wishing to donate furniture can contact volunteers via e-mail, and volunteers will pick up the furniture that will be distributed every Saturday from 9-10:30 a.m. Increasing demand has caused St. Vincent de Paul to extend its hours, volunteers said.\n"We've grown quite a bit in the past few years," Wenstrup said.\nHowever, this doesn't prevent a lack of need for furniture and other necessities in the community. Vouchers are good for a year because the organization sometimes doesn't have the type of furniture recipients need. While beds and couches abound, recipients often have to make several trips to their distribution center to get more high-end items like dressers, washers and dryers.\nSenior Melissa Hunt said she believes this program benefits people differently than the way food and clothing donations can. \n"Furniture is a unique idea that I think will be a little bit more worthwhile," she said.\nWenstrup worked since his teenage years at the St. Vincent de Paul furniture distribution center in Cincinnati. Once he saw the need for furniture in Bloomington, he helped found the current program. \n"Most people -- once they get involved -- get as much out of it as the clients," he said. \nPollard said the furniture program was a service that was needed in the community because no one agency could take care of the various needs people had. The limited funds of local trustees and donations from churches in Bloomington make home visits and donations all the more important, she said.\n"It's amazing when we make a home visit how many people you see that have absolutely nothing," Pollard said. "We really appreciate everything that we can get, so we can give it to somebody else."\nThose wishing to donate or get involved can call 876-1974 ext. 301 or e-mail furniture@bloomingtonsvdp.org.