Houston Furniture Bank is the proud recipient of a Community Assistance Grant of $16,200 from the Junior League of Houston! The grant will go to support Houston Furniture Bank’s “No Kids on the Floor” initiative, which provides beds for children in need. Over 100 children will receive a new bed set thanks to this generous support!
On January 21st, Houston Furniture Bank was honored by a visit from Junior League leaders, including President, Rachel Regan, Community Vice President, Marie Newton, and Community Assistance Chairman, Katie Bailey Grahmann. Oli Mohammed, Executive Director and Founder of Houston Furniture Bank, led the team on a tour of Houston Furniture Bank’s facility, highlighting the Furniture Assistance Distribution Center where families receive essential furniture.
The team also took in Houston Furniture Bank’s Mattress Recycling Center, Mattress Builders facility, and Furniture Outlet. Houston Furniture Bank’s Mattress Builder’s facility was added in response to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, manufacturing mattresses for families affected by the storm. 3,500 Harvey-affected families received furniture assistance from Houston Furniture Bank. Today, the “No Kids on the Floor” beds are manufactured at Houston Furniture Bank!
In 2020, Houston Furniture Bank was able to provide beds to over 1,000 children, thanks to grants and donations from the Houston community. This initiative to provide children with a safe, comfortable place to sleep fits in perfectly with what has long been one of the Junior League of Houston’s main criteria for its Community Assistance efforts; helping Houstonians meet their basic needs. Given the challenges that Houstonians are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this focus is as important as ever.
The Junior League’s members are moved by the reality that one in three Houston-area children is living in poverty. Said Grahmann, “The basic need for a safe and clean place to sleep is easy to relate to, and something we often take for granted. The ability to quantify the reach ($150 will pick a child up off the floor and give them a bed to call their own) is incredibly impactful and easy to get behind. It makes sense that this basic need is viewed as out of reach to those required to choose between covering rent, utilities, food, and bedding. Mattresses are not an easy thing to donate or pass along, and it’s incredible that Houston Furniture Bank has figured out how to fill the gap.”
The League has awarded a total of $150,000 to thirteen worthy organizations, focused on basic needs, children’s education, abuse/neglect of children, and the mentoring of young girls/women including Neighbors in Action, Gift of Adoption Fund, LifeHouse of Houston, Literacy Now, Family to Family Network, The Rose, Inc., Texas Center for the Missing, First3Years, Counseling Connections for Change, ChildBuilders, SIRE, Nature Discovery Center.
With an estimated 300,000 children sleeping on the floor or sharing their bed with someone, in the greater Houston area, Houston Furniture Bank looks forward to continuing to grow the reach of the “No Kids on the Floor” initiative each year! In 2020, the number of beds distributed to children increased by over 200%. Houston Furniture Bank is deeply grateful to the many individuals and organizations who continue to help us work towards a Houston where every child has a comfortable place to rest.