Furniture Sharehouse was founded through the efforts of Kate Bialo and The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound (JLWOS). Through her work as Past President and Community Grants Coordinator for JLWOS, Kate learned of the social service community’s frustration at having furniture that their clients desperately needed slip through their fingers because no one had space to store it temporarily. So she conceived the idea of setting up a “shared warehouse” where donations could be collected and redistributed to agency clients as needed. 

Furniture Sharehouse was incorporated in 2006, and, with seed money from JLWOS and a matching HUD grant from Westchester County, warehouse space was secured at the Westchester County Airport in White Plains in January 2007. 

Just nine days before the Grand Opening was held on April 24, 2007, disastrous flooding struck our region, and thousands of Westchester County residents lost all their possessions. Furniture Sharehouse was perfectly poised to help, and in less than a month, established a temporary furniture distribution facility in Mamaroneck. In just ten days, using tents and trailers, we collected and distributed enough furniture to help 65 families rebuild their lives. 

We also established the Mattresses for Moms Fund for Mother’s Day 2007, collecting over $19,000 used to purchase new bedding for flood families.  In May 2007, we began helping clients by appointment at our warehouse two mornings a week and continue to do so.

Furniture Sharehouse joins more than fifty other furniture banks across the country that together provided over one million pieces of furniture to more than 100,000 families.  We are a member of The National Furniture Bank Association, which helps furniture banks increase existing capacity and works to help open new ones.

Furniture Sharehouse is a New York State Not-for-Profit corporation, and is tax-exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3).  Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.