“Nobody should have to sleep on the floor.”
That simple but powerful motto continues to guide the Rotary Burlington North Furniture Project today. What began in 2020 with a goal of supporting two families per month has grown into a vital community initiative serving dozens of individuals and families each year across Burlington.
Since launching, the project has supported approximately 100 clients with gently used, good-quality furniture. The need has not slowed. In just a recent three-and-a-half-month period, 36 families accessed the program. Each referral represents someone starting over with very little and needing more than just four walls to feel secure.
Supporting Families Forced to Start Over
The Furniture Project focuses on individuals and families who must leave their homes quickly and rebuild elsewhere. Many referrals come through local women’s shelters and agencies assisting refugees. Others are people facing sudden life transitions who find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, often arriving with little more than the clothes they are wearing.
Furniture poverty is real. A home without beds, tables, or seating is not yet a place of stability. The Rotary’s mission is simple: help transform empty spaces into safe, livable homes.
Local Realtor Clinton Howell and fellow Rotarian Kate Johnston have been involved since the program’s inception.
Filling a Critical Gap in the Community
The program was inspired by conversations with Nancy Milton, founder of the Fresh Start Project. While Fresh Start provides household essentials that fill cupboards and drawers, a gap remained when it came to furniture.
The question was simple: What about the beds? The couches? The tables?
That question sparked action. Burlington North Rotary stepped in to address furniture poverty directly, ensuring families are not left sleeping on floors or eating meals without tables.
How the Furniture Project Operates Today
The Furniture Project operates with a combination of in-kind and monetary donations. Clinton Howell provides the use of his trailer for pickups, while the Rotary club covers approximately $2,000 in annual operating expenses.
A dedicated team of 12 to 15 core volunteers, supported by the broader 48-member Rotary club and community helpers, powers the initiative. Once a month, two trucks are dispatched throughout Burlington from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., collecting gently used furniture donated by local residents.
Mattresses, couches, desks, tables, and chairs are carefully loaded, transported, and sorted. Storage space generously donated by Access Storage on Fairview Street allows the team to organize and maintain inventory.
Each item is photographed and uploaded into a tracking app. Volunteers document details and exact storage locations, creating a real-time inventory system. Referred clients receive a secure link to browse available items and reserve what they need.
This system ensures efficiency, transparency, and dignity. Families can choose items that suit their needs rather than receiving random donations.
Community Generosity in Action
The project’s success relies heavily on Burlington residents. Word of mouth and social media continue to drive donations, and the response remains strong enough that pickup routes are contained within the city.
In many cases, clients arrange their own transportation. Some receive support from Shelter Movers, a nonprofit organization that transports goods at no charge for individuals leaving unsafe situations. In certain urgent circumstances, Rotary volunteers personally deliver furniture.
One recent example highlights the impact. After police referred a woman who had fled an abusive home with her two children, volunteers arrived at her one-bedroom apartment. The space was nearly empty. By the time they left, each family member had a bed. The apartment began to feel like a home.
That is why the volunteers do this work.
More Than Furniture: Restoring Stability
Providing furniture does more than fill rooms. It restores dignity. It creates a foundation for rebuilding.
When someone no longer has to sleep on a floor, they can focus on employment, education, and long-term stability. A furnished home becomes a stepping stone toward independence.
For Clinton Howell and the Rotary Burlington North volunteers, the reward is not recognition. It is seeing families regain a sense of normalcy and hope.
How to Get Involved
The Burlington North Rotary Furniture Project continues to welcome both furniture and monetary donations. Residents with gently used items in good condition can arrange for monthly pickup within Burlington.
Financial contributions help cover operating expenses and ensure the program remains sustainable as demand grows.
To learn more about donating furniture or to arrange a pick-up, please visit the link below:
