Love in Action

 

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 Bobs 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 – Bobs 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:

JFC 11-09-12 001

gorgeous sofa with fabulous nail-head trim and a great color priced $245

JFC 11-09-12 002

another really nice sofa – it’s green and a sleeper – priced $225

JFC 11-09-12 003

green leather sofa – distressed – priced $50

JFC 11-09-12 004

great leather chair – also pretty distressed looking – priced $95

JFC 11-09-12 005

IKEA buffet priced $40

JFC 11-09-12 006JFC 11-09-12 007

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)

JFC 11-09-12 008JFC 11-09-12 009

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

JFC 11-09-12 010JFC 11-09-12 011

I love the design on this deep green sofa in excellent condition priced $225

JFC 11-09-12 012

gorgeous two tone dining set includes: a table, one leaf and four chairs priced $295

JFC 11-09-12 013

round table with four chair – priced $135

JFC 11-09-12 014JFC 11-09-12 015

fantastic recliner that sits TWO (or more!) covered in a fun clocks and books fabric priced $125

JFC 11-09-12 016

green micro suede sofa for $115

JFC 11-09-12 017

wonderful three drawer dresser for $125

JFC 11-09-12 018JFC 11-09-12 019

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

JFC 11-09-12 020

lovely wood framed sleeper sofa – priced $60

JFC 11-09-12 022

another nice leather piece – this time a loveseat – there are some minor issues with the leather and is priced $175

JFC 11-09-12 023JFC 11-09-12 024

fabulous western themed upholstered and wooden bench priced $195

JFC 11-09-12 025

great side chair by Temple priced $95

JFC 11-09-12 026JFC 11-09-12 027JFC 11-09-12 028JFC 11-09-12 029

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

JFC 11-09-12 030JFC 11-09-12 031JFC 11-09-12 032JFC 11-09-12 033

wonderful sofa in excellent condition priced $195; matching loveseat – also in excellent condition – priced $150

JFC 11-09-12 034JFC 11-09-12 035

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)

JFC 11-09-12 036

nice white painted five drawer dresser for $35

JFC 11-09-12 037JFC 11-09-12 038

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.

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Write by: Dj Ganden - Friday, November 9, 2012

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