Compassion Coalition’s Furniture Ministry is an initiative that unites church teams and referring ministries, agencies, and case managers to collect and deliver quality, used furniture to those in crisis. Every Saturday morning families receive needed items from volunteer church teams, sometimes allowing a child to sleep in a bed for the first time in many days. The Furniture Ministry has been meeting a basic need of people in crisis since 2005.

Furniture Ministry Accomplishments:

• Hundreds of volunteers are mobilized and spend thousands of hours delivering quality furniture to hundreds of families and individuals in Knox County. Compassion Coalition organizes with churches and nonprofit organizations to make this ministry possible.

• Since the conception of the furniture ministry in 2003 significant increases have occurred each year in the number of furniture donations, volunteers, and families served.

• The furniture ministry meets the needs of furnishings for people referred by numerous Knoxville agencies including, but not limited to, Knox Area Rescue Ministry, Salvation Army, CAC’s Homeward Bound, Helen Ross McNabb Path Program, and Peninsula Independent Living Program. These agencies address the issues of those affected by, or about to be affected by homelessness.

• The Community Action Committee’s Homeward Bound program commented in a recent survey that Compassion Coalition’s furniture ministry is vital to the success of the Homeward Bound Program. It is essential that people trying to rebuild their lives have not only a roof over their heads, but also the furnishings necessary for setting up their homes.