From Shelter to Stability
Dresser Build
The CARITAS Furniture Bank is pleased to introduce our newest volunteer opportunity: Dresser Builds. Made possible in part by a UPS Grant, CARITAS is seeking skilled volunteers with experience in furniture making. Our goal is to create and sustain a volunteer driven program that can produce large numbers of quality dressers for distribution to our clients.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 19 volunteers built six new dressers in just three hours. This was our first large scale dresser build and paints a bright picture for future builds both at the Furniture Bank warehouse and at outside locations.
About Dresser Builds
The dresser build consists of two independent stages: fabrication and assembly. During the fabrication stage, skilled volunteers will cut, route, and drill all necessary materials and group the materials in kits. In the assembly stage, volunteer groups (no skill required) will schedule a dresser build, assemble the kits, paint the dresser, and return the completed dresser to the warehouse to be given to a client as they move from housing crisis into independent living
At present, we are seeking skilled volunteers to assist in the fabrication stage. If you are interested in assisting in this way please fill out our volunteer profile form and we will schedule an orientation.
In November, CARITAS received grant from the UPS Foundation that covered the cost of a professional cabinet saw that will make this program possible. The Saw Stop professional cabinet saw is at the cutting edge of safety technology. Its blade automatically retracts in the event of skin contact. This amazing technology will allow us to plug skilled volunteers into the cutting/kit building phase of the dresser build with confidence and safety. We received our saw at the end of January and are ready to expand dresser production.
CARITAS staff with a completed dresser.
Build a Dresser
In addition to skilled volunteers, we are seeking groups that would like to participate in the dresser build project. Volunteer groups are asked to make a $60 tax-deductible contribution per dresser that will cover the cost of materials. Each dresser makes a 3-6 hour project for a group of 3 or 4 volunteers. All builds must be scheduled 2 months in advance and donations must be made 30 days in advance. Donations can be made by check payable to CARITAS Furnture Bank, reference Dresser Builds or by Pay Pal or Google Checkout on our web site.
Become a Sponsor
We are also seeking sponsorship from local businesses and corporations for both material and financial contributions that would help offset the costs to the volunteer groups. To learn how to become a sponsor for dresser builds, contact Tom Bannard. Sponsors will have their logo on a sticker placed in the top drawer of every dresser along with the name of the volunteer group that assembled the dresser.
Items donated to the CARITAS Furniture Bank will be given to clients and used to further the mission of CARITAS.