From the derecho to the pandemic, this year has thrown Brittany a lot of curveballs. Homeless with three kids aged five and under, she worked with a local organization to get housing. Her caseworker put her in touch with Central Furniture Rescue just before the derecho hit.

“We were scheduled to get our furniture the week the storm hit,” recalled Brittany. “We had to reschedule for the next week, but they got it to us as soon as possible.”

CFR delivered beds for the family and so much more. They also received a kitchen table, living room furniture, as well as toys for the kids.

Brittany loves the kitchen table, which is big enough for her family to gather around. “We can sit down and eat dinner together. We can do art projects. We do things as a family,” explained Brittany. “When you’re homeless or living with others, you don’t have that. We’ve never really had our own space to sit down together before.”

CFR also gave her a crockpot, which she wasn’t expecting but truly enjoys. “I haven’t had one of those for years. It made me so happy; we used it right away. I use it a lot.”

Another item that came just in time was a desk for her five-year-old who was just starting school. Since he started the academic year learning from home, the desk was the perfect place for him to be able to work on his tablet and focus. Since returning to school in-person, he still gets lots of use out of it.

“The desk is nice as he sits down to do his homework or to read,” said Brittany. He gets his own little space where his little brother and sister can’t bother him.”

The generosity of CFR made an incredible impact on Brittany. “I think about them picking out things to fit us specifically. Everything about it was amazing,” she said. “I’ve never had everyone help us the way they did. It makes me really happy and thankful.”