Movers and Shakers in Need of Furniture Donations

By EMILY MADDEN

Movers and Shakers is a furniture ministry that has worked tirelessly to provide furniture and appliances to refugees, apartment fire victims, abused women and single mothers in the north metro Atlanta area.

Due to the downtrodden economy, however, it’s been difficult to obtain the supply they need to meet their massive demand – something that could all change if the community got more involved.

The need for furniture by those in the Atlanta area is tremendous.

Every week, Movers and Shakers gets dozens of emails and phone calls from people in need, hoping that the ministry can provide them with furniture. The ministry is run off of donations and most of the time is unable to keep up with the amount of requests they receive.

“I normally have at least five or six people every day reach out to me, asking about our furniture,” said Laura Gibson who is the director of communications at the Movers and Shakers Furniture Ministry. “It’s unfortunate, because most people have to go on a waiting list that can take up to six months. I think if people were more aware of our ministry we wouldn’t be in such a predicament.”

The ministry is trying to become more accessible by getting involved on social media. It has created a Facebook and Twitter page with information on how to donate. It has also become one of few ads featured on 104.7 The Fish.

“We’re definitely trying to get our name out there,” said Kevin Madden who is the volunteer coordinator for Movers and Shakers. “We hope that by becoming more visible, we will attract more donors. I think it’s worked so far. It also helps that spring cleaning is going on right now.”

In the past month, since launching its promotional campaign, the ministry has seen a growing amount of furniture donations. It hopes that the ministry will continue to grow.

“Seeing people’s faces light up when they receive their donations makes it all such a joy,” Gibson said. “We love helping the people of our city and will continue to do so for as long as we can. I believe if the community got more involved we could really make a big difference.”

Beyond benefiting from spring cleaning and decluttering one’s home, every donor will also receive a tax deduction on each donation of used furniture. As an added convenience, Movers and Shakers picks up the furniture from your home. For more information on the ministry, visit atlmoversandshakers.org.