Thanks to a partnership between the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist University and various nonprofit groups, scads of furniture that had no immediate use will be going to transitional and public housing projects for the benefit of the homeless and emancipated foster youths.
According to city officials, Cal Baptist officials agreed to turn over 600 sets of surplus furniture to multiple nonprofits, which are in the process of collecting the pieces and storing them in a warehouse until they can be situated in living facilities.
Mayor Rusty Bailey’s staff coordinated with the campus to arrange for the acquisition of the chairs, mattresses, dressers, tables, bookcases and sofas for which Cal Baptist had no space.
“This opportunity arose out of the generosity of California Baptist University and the willingness of local nonprofit organizations, churches and businesses to pitch in and make a difference,” said city spokesman Phil Pitchford.
He said organizations that came forward seeking to make use of the items included Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Riverside Fund to End Homelessness, Teen Challenge, Friday’s Urban Renewal Network and La Sierra University Church of Seventh-Day Adventists.
Ryder System Inc. was contacted and agreed to provide rental trucks and trailers to haul the furniture from Cal Baptist to the warehouse — an in-kind donation valued at $20,000, according to the mayor’s office.
The loading and unloading effort, which began Thursday, is expected to continue through the weekend, Pitchford said
— City News Service