Friends of HFB,
What a week! What a Month! What a year! There is so much happening within the HFB organization that this is truly the Cliff Notes version.
Top of mind may be the Capital Campaign but this summer many people (heroes) have worked hard creating plans that will shape the future of the HFB. It’s exciting to see the increasing number of new people that have begun working along the side of board members, volunteers, and staff. I am personally moved almost every day by how much these new friends of the HFB have rolled up their sleeves and contributed in big ways to our organizations efforts. Thank You / Thank You!
Back to the Capital Campaign. After completing an extensive self-evaluation, we spent the summer addressing several items that were important to implement prior to beginning our first capital campaign in the 21 year history of our organization. We identified every aspect of what we do, how we do it, what we want to do, what we need to change to get to where we want to go, and how we are going to coordinate our efforts now and going forward. Needless to say, this has been a major undertaking. The HFB message and capital campaign material will be made public soon as we begin to roll out this October.
Currently the most recognizable changes at the HFB are our logo and the names of our subsidiary businesses. Subsidiary businesses of the Houston Furniture Bank now include: HFB Mattress Recycling, HFB Outlet Center (formally Bargain Bazaar), and our newest project in process, HFB Furniture Manufacturing. Next we updated our couch and heart logo which is now the logo for each of the HFB businesses.
One the most significant achievements of the year is a new partnership with the City of Houston Waste Management Department. This is a program for recycling mattress that would have otherwise ended up in Houston landfills. With a key donation from BBVA Compass Bank of two dumpsters, we now have a collection location at 2 of the city’s dump sights. In the first two weeks, Houston’s Waste Management Division has delivered hundreds of mattress and box springs to the HFB Mattress Recycling Center. This relationship has big benefits for the community and with 4 more locations not covered by this program, look for an expansion in the future.
Our D.I.V.A.S. (Designing Interiors Volunteers At your Service) have continued to deliver amazing work with their community projects. Recently they completed a remodel at the YWCA. If decorating is your thing, check out this incredible opportunity to share your skills.
As we move forward, our focus is to pursue efforts that ultimately produce high impact results both socially and environmentally. I want to personally thank all of our new friends that have contributed to the success of the HFB. Thank you for your time, commitment, and kindness that you have blessed us with.
I look forward to sharing with you the WOW factor that is happening now and every day at the HFB.
“Making Empty Houses Homes”
Hal Lynde, HFB Board Chairman
