Morris furniture exchange has helped the needy for 20 years. Now it needs help to survive

William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record
·3 min read

Space, but perhaps not time, has run out for a Morris County charity that has helped local families furnish their homes over the past two decades.

Moving from one donated facility to another over the past 20 years, Interfaith Furnishings has served the community by collecting unwanted furniture and distributing it to those in need.

The group helps people "who are in a new residence after being homeless, battered, formerly ill or jobless, and who lack the ability to furnish their housing as they begin again," it explains on its website.

That mission, however, has been on hold since September, when the nonprofit had to vacate donated warehouse space it had been using over the last six years at Christ Church in Rockaway Township. The megachurch needs the space to launch a health care program for its congregation, Interfaith Furnishings spokesperson Christopher Welch said.

Interfaith Furnishings, a Randolph-based nonprofit that collects and distributes furniture to needy families, is looking for a new location after losing their previously donated warehouse space.
Interfaith Furnishings, a Randolph-based nonprofit that collects and distributes furniture to needy families, is looking for a new location after losing their previously donated warehouse space.

After that setback, "It took time to get the stars in alignment," Welch said. "It took time to figure out whether we could keep going. The group voted not to stop."

What is needed

But the group can't resume operations without storage space, and with little in the way of funding, leasing is out of the question. So this week, the Randolph-based nonprofit reached out to the community to ask for help.

"Once again, we need a warehouse or comparable facility with approximately 2,500 square feet on the ground level," founder and co-director Mary Jo Welch announced in a news release Monday. "Thanks to fellow local volunteers, and residents throughout Morris County, more than 1,700 neighbors in need have been comforted with sofas to rest on and tables to eat at."

Previous spaces have been donated by local businesses including William F. Barnish Properties Management, former Randolph auto dealer James Grecco and accounting firm Nisivoccia & Co.

History of Interfaith Furnishings

"We started in a space on Route 15 we were forced to vacate on one day's notice because it was leased," said Mary Jo Welch, who helped found the program as a charitable service of Resurrection Parish Catholic Church in Randolph. "We don't need a lot of space, but it has to be one floor. And we really need something longer-term."

Mary Jo Welch is the founder and co-director of Interfaith Furnishings, a nonprofit that collects and distributes furniture to needy families.
Mary Jo Welch is the founder and co-director of Interfaith Furnishings, a nonprofit that collects and distributes furniture to needy families.

Her son, Christopher, is one of the volunteers who gathered about once a month to collect donated furniture and take it to the warehouse, where qualified families can go to pick out what they want. Their choices are then delivered to their homes free of charge.

The volunteers, on average, furnish about 100 homes per year, Christopher Welch said. Referrals come from social service programs.

"Interfaith Furnishings has previously been recognized with a Randolph Township community service award," Randolph Mayor Christine Carey said in the Interfaith Furnishings statement. "They provide a valuable service to Morris County residents in need. Hopefully they will find a new warehouse space soon, so they can continue their important work.”

Help from sheriff's Hope Hub

Once they obtain the space and resume operations, Interfaith Furnishings can expect valuable assistance from Morris County Sheriff James Gannon's Hope Hub program.

Launched in 2021, Hope Hub is a multidisciplinary panel made up of law enforcement, social service and mental health professionals, health care and treatment providers and recovery specialists. They work to connect struggling individuals and families to life-changing services.

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"We look forward to partnering with Interfaith Furnishings in the near future," said Hope Hub spokesperson Mark Chiarolonza. "Through the Morris County Sheriff's Office Hope Hub, 68 different partnering agencies throughout Morris County will be able to utilize their much-needed service."

Mary Jo Welch added that a warehouse donor may be able to claim a tax credit.

"We're hoping there's a secret or not-so-secret Santa somewhere seeking to do another good deed during the off-season," she said.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Randolph NJ furniture exchange needs new space