Chicago Furniture Bank - Volunteer

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The mission of the Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB) is to provide dignity, stability, and comfort to Chicagoans transitioning out of homelessness by allowing clients to handpick an entire home’s worth of furnishings. The CFB collects donated furniture and kitchenware and relies on volunteers to pack boxes of kitchenware to go out with the furniture, keep our showroom organized, and sort through donations. The CFB is currently the largest furniture bank in the country, furnishing around fifteen homes per day with a staff of 33 full-time employees that are primarily hired through nonprofit workforce development programs.

The end of pandemic-era protections means increased vulnerability to housing instability for many. Here are a few roles that we need filled:

Showroom Assistant

You will get to be the face of the CFB in the showroom and help the clients pick out their own pieces of furniture, ranging from a new loveseat to a beautiful lamp. Your shift will be spent walking alongside clients and their caseworkers and writing down the row and aisle direction of each piece of furniture they pick out, so that warehouse staff can later identify it and ship it off. You'll be a key part of keeping our operation running smoothly.

Kitchenware Sorter

This job is perfect for groups. Kitchenware boxes are perhaps the most requested item that we provide to our clients, rivaling even beds. Your work gives families cups, pots, pans and plates, allowing them to make and eat home cooked meals.

Warehouse Sorter

All usable items that the Chicago Furniture Bank picks up will either be used by us or donated to a partner charity. To do this, we need to sort through the things that our movers collect and gather the usable items for our partner charities and dispose of the few things that we cannot use or donate. This job is perfect for someone that wants to work by themselves or in a group and on their feet.

Greeter

Some volunteers want to stay off their feet but still want to have interactions with the client. For those people, we have the perfect job. The greeter will sit in our lobby and help out anyone who arrives at the Chicago Furniture Bank. Your entire shift will be spent directing clients and other volunteers to wherever we need them, all with a warm smile on your face.

Furniture Repair

Some of the furniture we receive is lightly worn. We want to give our clients the highest quality furniture possible so we need skilled volunteers to help repair furniture with minor issues. This adds a lot to the CFB, since it allows us to redistribute even more furniture that we are proud to share.