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-Furniture Repair Banking is so many different things.
We work as a furniture bank, but we focus on repair.
All the items that come
in, we restore them, reupholster, restain, repaint,
and then all that we do then goes to families in need.
And also look for machine stitching;
that will keep it together where it should be together.
[ stapler clanks and scissor cutting ]
Zero Waste Washington is a statewide nonprofit.
We're mainly a policy shop.
We help pass laws, but we also run and pilot
different community based programs.
And we also do research.
So Furniture Repair Bank
started as a program of Zero Waste Washington.
We learned that furniture is
somewhat overseen, so we started piloting
and seeing what can
be done with furniture, and that grew into its own thing.
Everything that we
receive comes from individuals.
[ car warning beep ]
People find us on Facebook groups,
like Google Search, friends of friends, so just individual people
try to do something better with their items
rather than just sending to the landfill.
[ tractor motor ]
-One of the pillars of Furniture Repair Bank
is reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
We hate to see so much furniture
going into landfills every day when it still has many years
of life left in it.
All it needs is sanded down
and painted or stained, or maybe reupholstered.
[ drill sanding ]
The volunteers are great.
They're very interested in learning the new skills.
They're all very eager to learn.
Occasionally we'll get volunteers
that are skilled, and so we
sometimes do have some pieces in here
that are a bit more damaged than average.
And so it's great to have them on hand as well.
[ hammer pounding ]
-I just enjoy the work.
So to me, there's a benefit to me personally
because coming in and putting
something back together and being able to walk away
knowing that something that was broken
before - is now usable - is rewarding to me.
-Got it.
Okay,
so the seam would go all the way in.
-It's so neat to see that what you're doing
with these chairs and these furnitures
can really help transform the lives of others.
You don't need to come with any skills.
They teach you everything you need to know,
have all the tools and supplies,
and you walk away with an impact you making
and some new skills.
♪♪
-So we work with multiple
partner agencies that support people in need.
They're refugee resettlement agencies, shelters
that help people getting out of homelessness.
So we work with those groups and they know the people
that need the help and tell us what they need.
And we put together the sets of furniture for them.
♪♪
[ truck door sliding open ]
[ chattering ]
-And one dresser, right?
-Uhm, no, there's no twin beds. They’re both queen size beds.
You can do one step at a time if you need to.
Hold on.
[ in hushed voice ] All right.
Whew!
[ people chattering ]
-Uhm, so we've been without furniture for about six months now.
Without finding that
uhm, Furniture Bank, we would not have been able to
find any furniture any time soon.
So this is the sofa that they brought for us.
This was really nicely refurbished,
but this part actually matches with this
little centerpiece table set right here
because it blends in with the color very nicely.
And I really like this one
because of how they painted it.
So it really feels like feels like a set together.
Being able to finally wake up and come into the living room
and see that we have furniture,
makes it feel like we finally are home
after living here for six months already.
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-First, it all started
as an idea, as something that... “Oh, let's see, that's viable.
Let's see what we can do with that.”
But I think what keeps me going is people.
No single person can create anything by themselves.
Furniture Repair Bank’s mission is to create community
of mighty individuals,
and that's I think that's the core of what we do.
People that learn to skill together
try to build something together
and make a change and support others on the way.
♪♪
Watch City Stream
Tuesday nights at 7 on the Seattle Channel
or find us any time online at SeattleChannel.org.
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