It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, but sometimes there’s a story that really should be told. I think this one fits into that category.
I received an email via Holy Trinity’s new website. This website is really awesome since both donors and clients can contact the Furniture Bank directly without any added burden on the office. This note came in on December 23.
“I never imagined I would be writing something like this, but here we are. Since September, my family has lost everything. We lost our home. I lost my job. We lost my father-in-law. We lost our best friend. We lost my brother-in-law. We even lost our car. In a matter of weeks, our entire life unraveled. With four children – ages 16, 12, 9, and 3 – we’ve been moving between hotel rooms just trying to keep them safe, warm, and together. We’ve done everything we can to shield them from how heavy this has all been, but the truth is it’s been the hardest period of our lives. After months of uncertainty, stress, and grief, we are finally starting to see a small light. I was able to secure a job, and we were incredibly fortunate to find housing for our family. For the first time in a long time, we feel like we can breathe. But because we lost everything along the way, we are walking into this home with nothing. No beds. No furniture. No way to make it feel like a home for our kids yet. I’m reaching out with humility and hope to ask if anyone might be able to help us with furniture – especially beds for our children- or even guidance on where to turn. Anything would mean more than I can put into words.”
Needless to say, this note really got to me and to all of the Mussque Movers I shared it with. Within 10 minutes Linda Fieros offered food from the pantry. Everyone wanted to help. Wolf had only recently hurt his hip (nothing to do with furniture moving), but he came to load all of the food and kitchen things that Maggie put together into his car. We also had Meta with Little Red, Sheila with Zorro, James with JT and, of course, me with The Hammer. It was New Year’s eve, and it was cold.
Here’s what we took them: two sets of bunk beds with mattresses, a queen bed, linens for all beds, a sectional, a dining room table with a leaf and 6 chairs, dishes, pots & pans, towels, baking stuff, coffee pot, toaster oven, crock pot, a TV, two area rugs, two end tables, five lamps, a dresser, armoire, two chests, 3 night stands, another smaller dresser with a matching night stand, and 6 bags of groceries including a turkey. All of this in 4 pickups and a car.
They were beyond grateful. So much so that she sent this note: “I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out personally to express my deepest gratitude for your generosity and kindness. The donations of furniture, food, and household items have made a tremendous difference for our family. We are starting over with very little, and your support has given us not only the things we needed, but a sense of hope, comfort, and stability that means more than words can express. Walking into our home and seeing furniture, cookware, and daily essentials in place feels like a blessing we could never fully repay. It allows us to begin rebuilding with dignity, warmth, and a renewed belief that brighter days are ahead. Your kindness has helped turn a difficult chapter into the beginning of something better.
Please know that every item you donated is appreciated and will be put to good use as we move forward. You provided more than belongings — you provided peace, security, and an emotional lift when we needed it most. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for caring.
I wish I could have been here to meet you and thank you in person, but I promise when we are back on our feet I will be reaching out so our family can repay this generosity by helping someone else in need.”
She also sent four photos, shown above. Everything in these photos came from us except the pictures on the wall and the dog!
THIS IS WHY WE DO THIS. THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT – HELPING OTHERS!
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