THE FURNITURE PROJECT
OF DURHAM (FPOD)
JUSTICE, PEACE, AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION (JPIC)

​​WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

The Furniture Project of Durham (FPOD) is a Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) direct service ministry of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church made up of parishioners and others who willingly share their Time, Talent, and Treasures serving their fellow brothers and sisters in need in Durham since 2012.

Now in our 13th year of service to our Durham community, our mission is to provide gently used, donated furniture and household items to homeless families and individuals that meet their basic physical and emotional needs so that they can feel like “their house is now a home.”

We offer our services to those in need that have already reached out to local social service agencies and have been referred to us by partner agencies, shelters, and programs that re-house and offer follow-up case management for the homeless, such as Housing for New Hope, Families Moving Forward, and Urban Ministries. This greatly increases the probability that the recipients will have longer term housing stability, which is so important.

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MAKING A HOUSE A HOME 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

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​Truly Making an Impact
Furniture Project 1st Quarter Review
​(January-March 2025)

"I reached out to you all for a bed, and you gave me so much more. I had given up and wanted to die until you came into my life. I honestly think God put you all there. You made me feel like I was somebody. Now I have hope that I can make it. You all do awesome work."
- Recent testimony from a woman who was homeless, following the sudden loss of both her husband and son.

The Furniture Project of Durham (FPOD) had another very productive 1st Quarter (January-March 2025) serving our Durham community. We were blessed to serve:

​Family Composition 2025

• 39 People Served: 23 adults and 16 children​​
• ​Largest Household Served: 5 people​

• Single Adult: 50%
• 2+ Adults: 11%
• Adult and Child(ren): 28%
• 2 Adults and Child(ren): 11%

Many thanks to those serving in our ministry and donors for helping make this happen. This amazing impact would not be possible without your generous donations that allow our JPIC to fund FPOD in our yearly budget, along with the many women and men who serve our community through this ministry with their time, talent, and treasures. 

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CALLED TO SERVE?
​OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP AND SUPPORT

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37).
We always can use more help. Options are flexible and varied. Just try it and see if it is for you.

​​HELP NEEDED

To continue this great work, we are in dire need of more parishioners to help with our housewares team and the delivery/pickup team. Hours are flexible and opportunities are diverse. Please reach out to Sandy at [email protected] (919) 452-3552

DELIVERY/PICKUP TEAM
CONTACT: Mike Jenista
​[email protected]

• Our ministry team picks up donated items for storage and delivers items on a weekly basis. Those interested in helping with donation pickup, packing, and moving furniture are always welcome. The Furniture Ministry is particularly looking for movers with a pickup truck or van to help deliver furniture to neighbors in need.
• The typical commitment is one 2-hour shift, each month on Saturday mornings, but any amount of help is welcome!​​

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SERVICE/REFERRALS & HOUSEWARE TEAM
CONTACT: Sandy Evans
​[email protected]​
​ (919) 452-3552

• The Furniture Project of Durham is also in need of additional support in helping contact by phone agency referred clients to determine their furniture and houseware needs.

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FURNITURE/FINANCIAL DONATIONS
​CONTACT: Jerry Steiner
​[email protected]

We have limited storage space and accept furniture and household donations. The Furniture Ministry also accepts monetary donations to purchase essential items for a delivery such as a bed, kitchen table, or cookware when donated items are unavailable. These donations also help pay for our storage unit costs, which is our largest expense, since we are blessed with so many donated items by grace-filled donors. Our ministry is very cost-conscience.

DONATE WAREHOUSE/STORAGE SPACE

• ​We are also seeking economical warehouse space in Durham to store donated furniture and housewares for rehousing the homeless. The FPOD currently occupies approximately 1,200 sq. ft. of space in multiple units in two locations.

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WHY WE DO IT

Many of the families and individuals that we serve are moving from homelessness to stable housing, and others are in housing but are struggling to live without basic necessities such as bed(s), a kitchen table, couch, lamp, or basic housewares. There is no charge for any furniture or housewares, and all items are delivered free of charge by our grace-filled, dedicated parishioners, who thoughtfully tailor the selection of items to the needs and preferences of the clients, based on donations/availability. We try to live out the mantra that “we are our brother’s and sister’s keepers.”

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR JPIC FURNITURE PROJECT OF DURHAM

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WHAT IF I HAVE A CLIENT IN NEED OF FURNITURE, BUT THEY DO NOT LIVE IN DURHAM?

Almost all our funding comes from our Immaculate Conception's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) yearly budget, JPIC fundraising events, and individual parishioner donations. As explained above, we intentionally focus our limited resources on serving the needs of our local Durham community. These decisions always are made in conversation and in solidarity with other Catholic Churches who provide similar services for those in need. I have provided below some resource information for those in need outside of Durham.

ORANGE COUNTY
(CHAPEL HILL)

CHATHAM COUNTY

​​Furniture Project of Orange County
​An ecumenical ministry organized by St. Thomas More Catholic Church consisting of 18 faith communities (16 churches and 2 synagogues) plus 3 businesses serving Orange County.

​CONTACT INFORMATION
Jane and Jeff Hathaway - (919) 612-2759 (Jane) | (919) 612-0922 (Jeff)
​[email protected]

Love Chatham Furniture Ministry
A furniture project organized at the request of Chatham County with the help of the ​Furniture Project of Chapel Hill. It is provided as part of the many services offered by "Love Chatham."

​CONTACT INFORMATION
Call to review needs and options for assistance: (919) 726-9976

WAKE COUNTY
(RALEIGH)

Green Chair Project*
​*I am unaware of any organizations in Raleigh/Wake County similar to our parishioner-run Catholic Church “Furniture Projects.” You may want to contact or search online for churches, nonprofits, or government agencies in the Wake County to find similar services. I chose to include the Green Chair Project because they may be able to provide some of these services in Raleigh/Wake County.

​CONTACT INFORMATION
(919) 322-0474 - [email protected]

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© All rights reserved.
If you have questions regarding our various JPIC ministries, please contact:
Kennith M. Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 901-A West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-3449 Ext. 293 - [email protected]