Early Sunday morning a fire broke out in one of the building at the Timber Lakes Apartment complex in West Chicago. It spread super fast and 23 families evacuated with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Four years ago Wheaton Bible and Outreach Community Ministries (where the proceeds of what we sell at Jubilee Furniture funnel back and help support) joined together to put a couple of Outreach employees in this very complex in order to provide help, hope and practical services to the primarily Spanish speaking, lower income residents – creating Puente del Pueblo (Bridge of the People).
By Sunday afternoon Puente, and additional Outreach, employees were on hand to help resettle the families (thankfully, there were available apartments within the complex where they could be moved) and with resources from the Red Cross and families throughout DuPage County– provided cots and other basic needs for these traumatized families who lost everything.
As wonderful as that is – a cot isn’t a very comfortable place to sleep and doesn’t offer a surface for eating or doing homework on, so a call went out for furniture.
As people have been mobilized to donate furniture to help the families – Jubilee Furniture was brought in since picking up and moving furniture is one of our specializes and me; Warehouse Manger, Dan Snyder; and Assistant Warehouse Manager, Chris Jackson have gone into overdrive.
Yet crisis never seem to happen at a convenient time – so of course, this weekend Chris has to attend an out of town funeral, Dan’s wife – pregnant with their third – will be induced on Monday and tomorrow is my 28th wedding anniversary and my husband and I have had a quick two night trip planned for months.
I’m so grateful that wonderful volunteers are stepping in to help – many of the same volunteers you regularly see at the store. Which – to remind you – is open today (Friday) from 1 to 8 and tomorrow (Saturday) from 9 to 4 and we have some amazing things available for purchase! What follows are just a few of the things Dan and Chris picked up this week:
gorgeous sofa with fabulous nail-head trim and a great color priced $245
another really nice sofa – it’s green and a sleeper – priced $225
green leather sofa – distressed – priced $50
great leather chair – also pretty distressed looking – priced $95
IKEA buffet priced $40
gorgeous side chair with wonderful brass accents (see the brass on the tip of each arm in addition to the design in the back?) priced $75 and we have four of them (all priced $75 each)
amazing leather recliner – there are a couple of places where the leather is peeling off a little – but this is a comfortable, beautiful chair – priced $185
I love the design on this deep green sofa in excellent condition priced $225
gorgeous two tone dining set includes: a table, one leaf and four chairs priced $295
round table with four chair – priced $135
fantastic recliner that sits TWO (or more!) covered in a fun clocks and books fabric priced $125
green micro suede sofa for $115
wonderful three drawer dresser for $125
this green leather/pleather sectional comes in SIX pieces and can be configured in many different ways – where leather meets pleather there are some cracks but most of the issues can’t be seen and all the leather parts are in good shape. Several of the pieces recline too! Woot! Price $275
lovely wood framed sleeper sofa – priced $60
another nice leather piece – this time a loveseat – there are some minor issues with the leather and is priced $175
fabulous western themed upholstered and wooden bench priced $195
great side chair by Temple priced $95
amazing retro – green stained – pieces! Love. There are 6 swivel stools priced $175 for all six. Round table with six chairs (one of the chairs has been re-covered with a blue fabric instead of yellow like all the others – not sure why) the the set is priced $225
wonderful sofa in excellent condition priced $195; matching loveseat – also in excellent condition – priced $150
my photos kept coming out too dark but this is an amazing king-size wood head board, foot board and side rails priced $425; then we received a like-new Healthy Foundation memory foam king mattress which the donor paid $2,000 for – but then it didn’t work for them (and the company told them to donate due to the expense of shipping it back) – and it’s priced $995 (doesn’t include box springs)
nice white painted five drawer dresser for $35
super nice table with one leaf and six chairs (there are two chairs with arms) in great condition priced $275
I’m very proud of Puente, Outreach, Wheaton Bible, Dan, Chris and the many donors and volunteers who are stepping into a hard and scary time of loss to help these 23 families in a very practical way.
And if asked why – and though there are all too many reasons to label Christians as judgmental and hypocritical – as Jesus followers, we are called to help the helpless and those in need.
May we be known by our love.
