Sharing Connections brings community members together by enabling families and businesses to donate their gently used furniture and household items to families needing assistance. The vision is for everyone to eat at a table and sleep in a bed. This is a unique opportunity for the community to directly make an impact by passing on something they no longer need to make a difference in the life of a family.
How does Sharing Connections work?
Sharing Connections operates out of a 14,000-square-foot warehouse in Downers Grove and distributes donated items that impact over 23,000 individuals each year. Families served receive more than $2,700 worth of furniture, household items, and clothing. The staff works closely with referring partner organizations such as domestic violence shelters, housing organizations, food pantries, schools, veterans’ and teen parent organizations that refer their clients to Sharing Connections and determine the need for beds, cribs, furniture, and other household items. Fitting with the vision of Sharing Connections, the distribution of cribs and beds for children is a major focus of the programming.
Volunteers are an important part of Sharing Connections. Staff and volunteers provide over 2,100 hours every month securing donations, cleaning and preparing furniture, maintaining warehouse operations and directly serving clients.
Who is served by Sharing Connections?
The families served by Sharing Connections include the previously homeless, veterans, victims of domestic violence, immigrants, individuals with disabilities, victims of disasters, and many more. They have secured permanent housing but are faced with the harsh reality that their “home” is empty or severely under-furnished – without cribs and beds for the children, a table, chairs, and dishes to share meals, or even a sofa to sit on and relax.
Sharing Connections is always looking to partner with organizations for volunteer opportunities, household and furniture donations, and drives for cleaning supplies and personal care items. All of the opportunities directly impact families that we are serving in DuPage and surrounding counties.
