Making a difference...

Forget the Pepsi Challenge. Instead, of arguing about colas, I want to see who is ready to help children who, due to a lack of furniture, are sleeping on the floor.

Recently, I got a call from Don Lawrence, vice president of communications for the National Furniture Bank Assn. The NFBA is a nonprofit group whose mission is to create comfortable home environments by providing furnishings to people in need.

As part of that objective, it recently launched a program called Help1Up. The program urges consumers to buy their home furnishings at a participating Help1Up retailer and donate 1% of the purchase to support furniture banks.

The funds collected through the program will help the NFBA provide operational grants to furniture banks, and also provide best-practices expertise to furniture banks so that they can run more efficiently.

Don explained a number of the benefits consumers realize by helping out. For openers, they leave the store knowing they have helped a less fortunate family. They also have helped keep bulky sofas, tables and mattresses out of landfills.

To spread the word and get this ball rolling, the NFBA recently expanded its board of directors. I am proud to say that I was asked to be a board member and plan to be a very active participant.

Mary Frye, president of the Home Furnishings International Assn., and Steve DeHann, executive vice president of the National Home Furnishings Assn., also have signed on as new members of the board.
The group’s guiding belief, “No child in American should have to sleep on the floor,” is worthy of all our support. Here’s the Allegrezza Challenge: We need interested retailers to contact Don Lawrence at (800) 621-0298, or e-mail him at dlawrence@Help1Up.org.

We also need corporate sponsors to step up to the plate and help with funding so that this worthwhile program can grow.  (to add public comments click on "Add your Comment" below, or to email Ray directly click here.)