The Chicago Innovation Awards have truly supported the Chicago Furniture Bank, awarding us the Neighborhood Award in 2021, and they continue to support our mission by including us in their year-end gift guide!
Check it out here!
Chicago Furniture Bank: Transforming Empty Houses Into Homes (DCI Furniture)
We are very grateful to have been highlighted by DCI, who donated over 100 beds worth more than $50,000 for our clients!
Read more about our connection here!
Chicago Tribune: "Chicago Furniture Bank wants to be a household name so it can help more people with housing insecurity"
We want to express our deepest gratitude to Darcel Rockett and the Chicago Tribune for coming and highlighting one of our amazing clients, Cheyenne Dumas, along with helping us get the word out about our mission and how you can help!
Read the article here!
Crain's Chicago Business - "Chicago Furniture Bank provides the assets that are essential for the newly housed"
We want to sincerely thank Crain’s for creating this piece about our ongoing mission to help end furniture poverty in Chicago.
Click here to read the article.
Afghan refugee family finds new Chicago home after spending more than 3 months at US military base
Thank you to ABC 7 for bringing light to this very important story, one we were happy to be a positive part of. If you know any Afghan refugee families in the Chicagoland area who require furnishings, please get in contact with us so we can offer our services.
Supporting Families That Lost Everything to Fiberglass From Their Mattresses
When people think about the possibility of losing everything they own, they usually associate this dramatic situation with natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, or fires. Rarely do they imagine that such a catastrophic event could occur due to the presence of one of the most common objects most people have in their homes – mattresses. Unfortunately, mattresses containing fiberglass are extremely dangerous, and owning one may be a disaster waiting to happen.
Fiberglass is a type of reinforced plastic, sometimes called glass wool using glass fiber, a material that is very similar to that in kitchen drinking glasses and windows. Since 2007, it has become mandatory for manufacturers of mattresses to include a fire retardant in their products. Because fiberglass is widely available and inexpensive, it is the go-to option in this respect for numerous companies that make mattresses, especially for those who manufacture cheap mattresses in China.
Why Is Fiberglass in Mattresses Dangerous?
While mattresses that contain fiberglass rarely have a zipper on their cover, some do, and those are the most dangerous. The existence of a zipper on the cover of a mattress that has fiberglass inside suggests to consumers that it is safe to remove the cover for laundering, which is false. When you take off the cover of a mattress with fiberglass, the inner layer where the harmful material lurks is exposed, and tiny shards of glass can quickly spread through the entire room and subsequently through the whole house.
One company that includes fiberglass in mattresses is Zinus, a pretty popular brand in the United States. However, due to its design defect, the presence of a zipper on the cover, and the failure to warn owners about the dangers of removing the cover, a lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer in the spring of 2020, in which approximately 200 plaintiffs were involved at the moment. Not only can exposure to fiberglass severely injure you, but it can also cause you to lose all of your belongings as a result of contamination.
The injuries one can experience as a consequence of fiberglass exposure range from skin rashes and skin lacerations to upper respiratory infections and chronic breathing problems. For some families, the medical expenses incurred take a heavy toll on their budget, particularly if their home was also turned upside down because of fiberglass contamination. The cost of hiring a professional team to have fiberglass removed can cost up to $20,000.
How Numerous Families Have Lost Everything to Fiberglass Contamination
Perhaps the most tragic situation is families who had no other viable option but to throw away their lifelong possession because fiberglass could not be removed from their homes. Since fiberglass is made of tiny shards of glass that are sharp and have rough edges, they easily stick to objects made of or covered in fabric, such as couches, drapes, carpets, armchairs, clothes, pillows, and blankets.
Regrettably, not even the most experienced cleanup team can undo the damage fiberglass has done in cases like this. If these families do not have relatives or friends nearby who could provide housing, they have no other choice but to temporarily live in hotel rooms or their cars until they find a place they can call home. It is these people who need help the most. The core mission of Chicago Furniture Bank is to offer stability, comfort, and dignity to people who are facing poverty, regardless of the reason. Consequently, we partnered up with the people behind the campaign to help families who go through a difficult time due to what fiberglass has done to their living situation.
Chicago Furniture Bank Is Providing Families in Need with Furniture
We decided to partner up with the Environmental Litigation Group, P.C., a law firm focused on toxic exposure, that launched the Zinus Replacement Campaign to provide as many impoverished families as possible with a new and safe mattress. We are currently collaborating with their legal team and offering them furniture to people who have been left with nothing.
Finally, if you would like to help families affected by fiberglass exposure and contamination with products other than mattresses, you can do so by participating in the Zinus Help campaign. You can choose to donate any objects that can be used to families who were left with nothing, and the legal team will send your donations to the people who request the exact product you provided.
Turning empty spaces into comfortable homes
Take a look at this piece about the CFB in Penn Today written by Lauren Hertzler highlighting the CFB’s growth over the years. In 2021, the CFB will furnish 3,200 homes for 8,000 individuals and by 2024 we hope to furnish 5,000 homes per year.
Column: ‘A one-of-a-kind person and mentor’: Jim Mabie’s legacy includes helping 3 young men dream big
Read about one of the CFB’s first believers and close mentor Jim Mabie and the incredible impact he had on our organization.
Furniture Bank? Yes!
Check out this awesome piece by Mario Castro and Comcast.
Chicago Furniture Bank helps fill empty homes
Please watch this amazing video produced by Paige Tortorelli of ABC 7 Chicago that shows what we are all about. We're thrilled to have more than doubled our first-year goal of furnishing 400 homes and are excited to keep growing to serve more and more people every day.