The idea of what now is the Furniture Repair Bank came from a sofa. Running during early COVID I ended up in Madrona, Seattle, and here it was, a modern, goodlooking, perfectly gray sofa with intense cat scratches on the side…

Finding a suitable warehouse that satisfied our needs, that was relatively close to a city where we could recruit volunteers from, and did not cost a fortune was a treasure hunting quest.

There are many things this shoe rack and story represent: making do with what you have until something better comes along, finding new beginnings with a chance to start again, and– searching for structure amid chaos.

Teaching non-skilled volunteers is a way to build resilience in our community, but also an amazing way to bring together a team and raise their morale by giving them a purpose. This summer we tested running corporate volunteer events for teams of up to 30 people.

In June and August 102 items were provided to refugees and low-income families that saved 6,865 lb of furniture waste and contributed to saving 3,829 kgCO2e.

Over this summer dozens of volunteers contributed to reviving these pieces of furniture and more.