How to Furnish Hope

Megan Martin and her son showed up at our place back when Dan and I were first married. We had sorted through our duplicate household items, and Megan was there to pick up the excess home furnishings.

Dan and I knew beforehand that our contribution was going to a single mom with a young daughter who had been awarded a Habitat for Humanity house. How fun it was to gather our extra blankets and sheets and dishes and kitchen gadgets and lamps and an entire oak bedroom set and a dining table with chairs, knowing these items would help transform a house into a home for a young woman and her little girl.

Megan is founding director of Furnish Hope, a grassroots organization that provides gently used home furnishings for those in need. There are 62 agencies in the Central Oregon area that make referrals to Furnish Hope—including Veterans Affairs, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Pregnancy Resource Center, American Red Cross, and St. Charles Health System. 

Consequently, Furnish Hope serves veterans, recovery addicts, the unhoused, families who have lost a home to natural disaster, foster kids aging out of the system, women and children fleeing domestic violence, and those with disabilities or medical challenges. 

That’s a lot of need.

As word spread and the storage space began to bulge at the seams, Megan and her crew were given access to a warehouse at no cost.

And now, they’ve added a storefront in the Old Ironworks art district where Colorado meets Second Street, a clutch of railroad tracks runs every which way, and old buildings have been transformed into cool new shops and gathering places.

The public can shop at the Furnish Hope & Home store to purchase warm and cozy trimmings for their own homes.

And—here’s the cool thing—anyone can purchase gift cards at the store to be distributed by Furnish Hope to people in need who can then shop right there for the items that would add a homey touch to their new digs—furry throw pillows, fun wall hangings, soft comforters, old trunks, framed mirrors.

On a warm summer evening, Dan and I were on the invitation list to attend the grand opening of the Furnish Hope & Home storefront. We heard from the women who run this non-profit, and I got to hug Megan’s neck afterwards. She remembered Dan and me from a couple years ago: “You were some of our first donors!” she exclaimed.

While we were at the grand opening, I introduced Dan to a couple of women I know who also run grassroots non-profits in town: Jana Hill with Kindred Connections and Ranae Staley with The Giving Plate. Dan introduced me to a fellow steering committee member for Ochoco Christian Conference Center, Chris Earwicker, who also worked at that time for J Bar J Youth Services. (Side note: We learned that boys from J Bar J Ranch built the first three cabins in Veterans Village under the supervision of a project manager from Hayden Homes.)

As we talked with each of these women, I had a light bulb moment (warning: run-on sentence ahead). Kindred Connections has ties in the community with Furnish Hope and J Bar J Ranch and Giving Plate and Foundry Church. And Giving Plate has ties in the community with Boys & Girls Club and Shepherd’s House and Neighborhood Impact and the Oregon Food Bank. And Furnish Hope has ties in the community with Shepherd’s House and J Bar J Ranch and Pregnancy Resource Center and Miller Lumber and Mosaic Medical … and actually the list is quite long for each of these organizations. 

That’s a lot of connection.

There’s a verse in 1 John that convicts me every time I read it:

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:17-18

One of the things I love about our town is that it seems to collectively live out this verse.

That day at the grand opening of the Furnish Hope and Home store, there was a burst of joy somewhere in the vicinity of my heart to see—to really notice—how the faith-based alliances blend beautifully with the non-faith-based groups. And how things get done that honor God because of these collaborations.

It’s how addicted lives are given a second chance.

How troubled youth are loved and mentored and allowed opportunity to give back.

How families get a roof over their heads and furniture under that roof.

And how children get fed.

This thought from Charlotte Moss:

“An empty room is a story waiting to happen, and you are the author.”

Megan Martin and her team at Furnish Hope are in the business of allowing people to add to their stories in beautiful ways.

That’s a lot of hope.