Thursday's Yankees HOPE Week Honoree: Furniture Sharehouse

Austin Romine shows furniture to one of the worthy families. Provided by New York Yankees.

At Thursday's HOPE Week event, Yankees players Luke Voit, Zack Britton, Gleyber Torres, J.A. Happ, Gio Urshela, Jonathan Holder, Austin Romine and bullpen coach Mike Harkey surprised two local families and Furniture Sharehouse volunteers at their warehouse in Westchester County and helped the families select their furniture. The group then enjoyed lunch together at the facility.

Gio Urshela, Jonathan Holder, Mike Harkey, and Luke Voit help a family pick out some furniture. Provided by New York Yankees.

Furniture Sharehouse collects gently-used furniture and distributes it to individuals referred to them by social service agencies. Their clients include those moving out of homeless shelters into permanent housing, individuals escaping domestic violence, families struggling financially, young adults aging out of foster care and victims of fires or other natural disasters.

Luke Voit and Jonathan Holder with one of the families. Provided by New York Yankees.

More Information About The Furniture Sharehouse:

Can you imagine not having a table or chairs to share a meal with your family, or having your clothing and personal belongings stored in garbage bags? Could you imagine your child sleeping on the floor?
Thankfully, most of us cannot. Yet every year in Westchester County, many are forced to live without essential household furnishings. After paying for rent and groceries, a multitude of families cannot afford the basic furniture that many of us take for granted — the furnishings that make a house a home.

Provided by New York Yankees.

Furniture Sharehouse, a nonprofit organization, provides these individuals and families with the basic household furnishings they need free of charge, enabling them to rebuild their lives with dignity.
The nonprofit collects gently-used furniture and distributes it to individuals referred to them by social service agencies. Their clients include those moving out of homeless shelters into permanent housing, women and children escaping domestic violence, working families struggling to stay above the poverty line, young adults aging out of foster care and victims of fires or other natural disasters.
Clients visit the warehouse and select furniture with the help of volunteers based on their specific needs. Located at the Westchester County Airport, the warehouse offers a variety of household items, including beds, tables, chairs, sofas, dressers, bookshelves, microwaves, rugs, lamps and more.
“We know we’re making a difference in these families’ lives when we see the smiles of excitement on their faces when they walk in the door and when we share their hugs of gratitude when they leave,” said Bialo. “These are the families that have been struggling to keep it together, and they’ve had incredible challenges in their lives. They are worth all of the effort we put into it, which is why we do it.”
Founded in 2007 by Larchmont, N.Y., native Kate Bialo, Furniture Sharehouse has distributed over 75,000 furniture pieces to over 4,000 families.
“At one point in my life I had nothing, but the Furniture Sharehouse gave me gave my life back,” said one recipient. “It is wonderful to know that there are people out in the world who really care and want to help you out.