The Catholic Charities Furniture Program has secured a larger home for its operations as the need for its services grow—more than 100 people are not on a waiting list for donated items.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany on Wednesday, Nov. 14, celebrated the grand opening of its new warehouse in the Rotterdam Corporate Park, which houses furniture and housewares donations for low-income individuals and families. The Rotterdam warehouse is more centrally located in the charity’s 14-county area, and has about 1,500 square feet more space at 6,500 square feet. The program serves more than 500 households annually.
“We are thrilled to be in this new, expanded location where we can better serve our clients,” Catholic Charities CEO Vincent Colonno said in a statement.
The program’s previous location in Rensselaer, at the former St. Anthony’s on the Hudson, sustained water damage in Tropical Storms Irene and Lee. The group decided to move the better-suited Rotterdam warehouse instead of renovating the damaged building. Some furniture is still stored at its former home, but clients aren’t brought to it anymore.
Jack Beckett manages and runs the warehouse, and said since it started about six years ago, the need has rapidly increased.
“It has expanded probably 10 times from what it was,” Beckett said. “We probably in the last two years more than doubled the number of people that we help. We have many more calls than we can actually service in any given year, but we do our best.”
Beckett credited the uptick not only to the recession, but also to cuts in social services that would offer furniture vouchers to struggling residents. Now, those vouchers are only given in emergency situations.
“The government has cut the funding they get, so they look for ways to cut their expenses,” Beckett said. “Where they used to give out vouchers on a fairly regular basis, they don’t do that anymore just because they don’t have the money.”
Molly Nicol, director of development for Catholic Charities, said the struggling economy also has increased demand. Many people the group serves are only working part-time jobs.
“They are really trying to hold it together,” Nicol said. “They are living pretty much right on the edge.”
Clients of the program are not only low-income but usually in transition, which includes groups like veterans, domestic violence victims, immigrants, the disabled, the elderly, the working poor, those coming out of shelters and those released from prison.
Beckett recalled in one instance, a man facing issues with medical expenses called seeking a bed for his wife and himself, his son and another for his daughter, along with a dresser and kitchen table. After missing an original appointment, Beckett finally met with him and noticed something was wrong.
“When he arrived he had to sit outside his truck so I asked him what happened,” Beckett said. “He said his medical condition was diagnosed as cancer and he was on chemo and not feeling well and he wanted to sit in the sun.
“When they finally made it back to pick up the furniture it was his daughter, wife and son that came, so I asked about him and he had passed away,” Beckett continued. “They told me he was so proud he was able to get his family the beds, dresser and kitchen table. That is why we do this.”
The inventory at the warehouse varies based on donations, but can include mattresses and box springs, couches, dressers, coffee tables and end tables, kitchen tables, chairs, bookcases, small household appliances, linens, dishes, glasses, silverware, pots and pans.
The only thing limiting the program is what many nonprofits lack: funding. There is one truck used for the program, with a driver and helper working part time. If the program received more funding, Beckett said he would like to purchase another truck and expand to two full-time crews. The program as of Friday, Nov. 16, has furniture pick-ups scheduled into December. If there was another truck and another two-man crew, Nicol said donations could be picked up more rapidly. Anyone receiving furniture is responsible for moving the items from the warehouse to their home.
“We certainly have the donations that we could use those people and if we had the space to store that furniture it would just allow us to open up the program on a much broader basis,” Beckett said. “I have over 100 phone calls, probably more like 200 today, to return to people who have called and need furniture … it is a dilemma.”
Nicol said there are “very generous” people and businesses throughout the area that donate furniture and items. Catholic Charities is renting the Rotterdam warehouse from The Galesi Group at a reduced price.
Anyone interested in donating furniture or volunteering, or is in need of furniture, can contact the Catholic Charities Furniture Program at 453-6650. Donations can also be made online at www.ccrcda.org.
