We would like to share with you information about changes in the way furniture donors can get their donations to us and in the way clients can receive their furniture from Furniture Friends.
Over the past three years Furniture Friends has served over 700 families with much assistance from volunteers and community support. We have worked very hard to respond to ever increasing donations of furniture from donors and an ever growing demand from clients, despite our having only two part time staff members and one truck. This demand continues to exceed our capacity both in terms of staff and finances.
New Services for Furniture Donors:
Now, Furniture Friends will have regular drop off times on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12 pm and 4 pm and occasionally on Saturday mornings by appointment. If you have furniture to donate and you or your movers are able to drop it off at our warehouse during these hours of operation, then text us at 207-210-5797 or email our Operations Director, at operations@furniturefriends.org. He will set up an appointment at make sure to be at the warehouse waiting for your donation. Receipts will be available upon donation.
New Services for Case Managers and their Clients:
To better meet this ongoing demand, we will be offering clients the opportunity to pick up their furniture from the Furniture Friends warehouse effective on Tuesday, August 18th. In the future, on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12 pm and 4 pm and occasionally on Saturdays, we will be welcoming clients at our warehouse by appointment. While we will continue to deliver furniture once a week, generally on Saturdays, we estimate that people who choose to pick up their furniture at our warehouse will be served within 2-3 weeks of referral. Based on historic demand, we expect that people waiting for a furniture delivery will likely wait up to 2 to 3 months.
We believe this new option for clients will help us serve the greatest number of people in need and ensure that Furniture Friends as an organization remains sustainable. Additionally, we believe this opportunity to pick up furniture from the warehouse offers the following advantages to your clients:
- Clients can select the furniture they want from a variety of pieces in the privacy of our warehouse rather than having to take whatever comes off the truck.
- Furniture Friends will be able to expand efforts to pick up furniture donations which, ultimately, will allow us to offer a larger, more diverse selection of furniture to clients.
- We expect that response times for clients waiting to receive furniture will improve dramatically.
The New Process in a Nutshell:
As case manager or referral agent, we ask that you inform your client about these changes and we encourage you and/or your agency to assist them in any way you are able.
- Refer your client through our Furniture Friends website at www.furniturefriendsportland.org using the referral tab at the top and by filling out the referral form.
- After you have submitted your referral, Furniture Friends will do an in-home assessment of your client’s furniture needs.
- We will leave your client with a card with details pertaining to scheduling an appointment to pick up their furniture. (These cards will be available in English, French, and Arabic).
- Once your client has received a pick up appointment, you and/or your client will arrange for an appropriate vehicle and transportation out to at our 15 Saunders Way, Loading Dock 400 in Westbrook.
- We look forward to meeting your client at the warehouse during their scheduled appointment where we will assist them in selecting and loading their furniture.
We would appreciate that you work closely with your clients to help them understand the process by which they can get their furniture. We strive to make the client experience at Furniture Friends as helpful and enjoyable as possible. Please help to spread the word about these operational changes to other case managers within your agency. For additional questions or information please contact our Operations Director via email at: operations@furniturefriends.org.
Thank you for your support and cooperation.
The Board of Directors and Staff
Furniture Friends