Furniture Mission reports urgent need for donations

Donations have dropped so low that people coming to the Furniture Mission of South Dakota for sofas, dressers and box springs are having to reschedule appointments.

“We are in urgent need of furniture. We’ve reached critical numbers,” director of development Makenzie Stensrud said.

“We are down to single-digits of comfortable chairs, we have no loveseats or sofas or couches or anything that seats more than one person. We are completely out of full and queen box springs and are down to single-digits on mattresses, so we are just experiencing an incredible lull in furniture donations from our community.”

The team isn’t sure what’s causing the drop, she added.

“Sometimes, it happens that we go through some slow periods, but normally it happens in the winter when people don’t want to brave the cold or aren’t getting rid of their furniture, so it’s kind of an anomaly for us to figure out.”

Numbers of referrals are holding steady, but the Furniture Mission is having to reschedule appointments if people are looking for furniture that is not available.

“It’s a case-by-case basis, but we’re working on rescheduling appointments to next week in the hopes we do get some furniture,” Stensrud said.

If the shortage continues, it’s possible the nonprofit could use donated funds to buy furniture. It buys metal bed frames because headboards and footboards generally are too large for spaces where clients live and don’t make practical donations.

“We haven’t gotten to a point where we need to purchase furniture yet, but if financial contributions come in and say, ‘Go buy a couch,’ we’ll do that,” Stensrud said.

The Furniture Mission tries to serve eight families daily, with six appointments at its warehouse and two deliveries.

“When clients come in, we have eight living room furniture pods set up, and right now we’re at those eight pods, and we have enough to restock each once, and that’s what we have for living room sets right now,” Stensrud said.

“We’re going to do what we can with what we have and just pray furniture comes in. And it does, but as soon as it comes in the door, it goes right out.”

Last month, 136 families were served, and this month with scheduled appointments, the plan is to serve up to 145. Many of them are coming to the Furniture Mission out of dire circumstances. One client this week had lost everything in a house fire and had a baby in the NICU.

“So they literally have nothing, and a preemie newborn,” Stensrud said. “And the incredibly heart-wrenching part is that’s not an anomaly; that’s what we experience weekly. We have the devastating stories — people  leaving domestic violence situations who have to quickly pick up and don’t have a chance to bring furniture and have to start completely over.”

The Furniture Mission is open for donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Pickups can be scheduled in return for a $50 donation to support the mission.

While “we’re in desperate need of beds, dressers and couches, we’re always taking all furniture,” Stensrud said. “We need kitchen tables, we need pots and pans, and dishes and decor. It’s just those things we’re seeing critically low.”