Seeking Local Volunteers With Big Hearts, Strong Muscles

Are you looking to help out a great cause this holiday season and maybe get a little exercise to work off some of those extra pounds you gained over the Thanksgiving weekend?

If so, look no further than .

The Lawrence Township-based nonprofit needs your help – and the help of many others like you – to move 87 rooms’ worth of furniture being donated by the .

The Nassau Inn is remodeling and donating the beds, mattresses, dressers, nightstands, tables, chairs, lamps, artwork and other items from 87 rooms. HomeFront will, in turn, distribute the furniture to needy families throughout Mercer County.

There’s only one problem: All the furniture needs to be removed from the Nassau Inn between Dec. 12 and Dec. 16 and HomeFront is desperately short of volunteers to help complete the move.

“This donation can make some Christmas wishes come true for some folks, but we need help to do it,” said Christine Lee, director of the HomeFront-operated Lawrence Community Center.

“This is a tough project but it’s so necessary to our success to be able to furnish rooms and apartments for folks for the holidays,” Lee said.

“We’ve never had anything like this happen before. We’ve had corporations purchase mattresses for us or purchase a big truck of diapers for us – which is a huge, huge donation – but we’ve never been the recipient of 87 rooms of furniture,” she said. “Nassau Inn has been a partner and donor to Home Front for many, many years. Anytime they have a donation opportunity, they call us.

"We’re just thrilled about having such a wonderful donation. We’re just sad we are having such a hard time finding volunteer support," she said.

The furniture move will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 through Friday, Dec. 16. Anyone who is available to donate any time during that period is asked to contact HomeFront’s Sunny Emanuel at (609) 989-9417 extension 111 or sunnye@homefrontnj.org.

“We will take any manpower we can get. Any help is much appreciated,” Lee said.

The furniture will be moved out of the hotel into waiting HomeFront trucks. The items will then be stored at a HomeFront warehouse before being distributed.

“This furniture will furnish apartments for families throughout Mercer County,” Lee said. “That’s the difference between us and other organizations. We are the biggest nonprofit in the area helping families with children. A lot of people think we just help the homeless. A lot of our clients are working people. Everybody knows even if you make a good salary it’s really tough to live in New Jersey and to afford things. So a roomful of furniture for anyone is a real treat.”