Toronto, ON (May, 2015) – Diane
Sigouin Daniel with the Ontario Trillium Foundation congratulated Furniture Bank
on becoming the recipient of a two-year, $169,400 grant from the Ontario
Trillium Foundation. Funds will be used to formalize the charity’s latest
furniture workshop program. Working with volunteer and paid instructors, the
program will train participants from Furniture Bank’s Leg Up employment program
in the art of furniture repair, upholstery and woodworking.
“I am delighted to have Furniture Bank as a neighbour in my riding of
Etobicoke-Lakeshore, tackling issues around poverty and homelessness,” says
Peter Milczyn, MPP (Etobicoke--Lakeshore). “I am very excited that their new
Furniture Workshop program will offer invaluable employment training, skills and
supports to marginalized youth.”
In addition to giving participants an opportunity to learn additional
skills, the furniture workshop will soon enable Furniture Bank to provide a
repair service to damaged items of furniture, allowing the charity to
redistribute even more furniture to its clients. Since 1998, Furniture Bank has
diverted over 11,000 tonnes of used furniture from landfills and into the homes
of individuals transitioning out of homelessness and displacement.
“Through our Leg Up employment program, we offer employment every
year to over 20 socially marginalized youth, empowering program participants to
pay bills, save money and identify goals beyond daily survival,” says Dan
Kershaw, Furniture Bank's Executive Director. “The new furniture workshop will
not only teach participants a valuable skilled trade, it enables the
re-insertion of damaged pieces of furniture into our donation stream, increasing
our environmental and social impact.”
About Furniture Bank:
Furniture Bank has been helping people in the Greater Toronto Area establish
their homes since 1998 by enabling the transfer of gently used household
furnishings from donors to individuals in need. The organization operates
a year-round furniture removal service – picking up furniture from
donors and delivering items to clients transitioning out of homelessness or
displacement. Visit furniturebank.org
for more information.
About Ontario Trillium
Foundation: A leading grantmaker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium
Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments
in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF
builds healthy and vibrant communities.
Visit otf.ca
for more information.
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