As a single mom of two young children, Starr appreciates all help. Homeless at 17, she bounced around over the last five years only to find herself displaced once again after the destructive Derecho storm hit Cedar Rapids in August. She secured a new apartment in September but didn’t have any furniture. Starr and her son slept on a shared air mattress, and her baby daughter slept in a bouncy chair. While they made the best of it, she was anxious to get more permanent beds.

Through the HACAP “First 5” program that helps families with children under the age of five, Starr was referred to Central Furniture Rescue (CFR) to acquire household basics. Starr talked to CFR and shared her situation, stressing the need for better sleeping arrangements.
On the day of the furniture delivery, the sheer volume of volunteers stood out to Starr. “They had a million volunteers helping move everything. I barely had to carry anything,” she remembered.

It wasn’t just beds that CFR delivered. “They gave us furniture for the entire apartment,” Starr recalled. “We got a rocking chair and a couch, even a laundry basket for the bathroom. They also brought us sheets. I wasn’t expecting sheets. I was actually saving up for sheets, knowing we’d be getting beds. That was so appreciated.”

The beds still proved to be the highlight of the delivery, especially the toddler bed for Starr’s son. “He got so excited about the bed. I set it up while he was napping and made it up with the bedding,” she said. “The first thing he did when he woke up from his nap was to crawl into the bed and cover up with a blanket.”

Another part of the process that touched Starr happened at the very end. After the moving was complete, she said the ten-to-fifteen volunteers stayed and prayed with her.

“It really meant a lot,” said Starr. “We needed the prayers.”