You can call them modern day angels. A local furniture store spends one month a year donating furniture to families in need. Why do they do it? And how are the deserving recipients chosen?

It was a plan Walker Furniture CEO Larry Alterwicz came up with 14 years ago. He says letters poured into the store from families in need.


One family we caught up with says the good deed changed their lives. It all started with a letter — a letter sent by the daughter of 69-year-old Verneta Kerbo.

It reads, “Verneta, on a limited fixed income has adopted her four grandkids to keep them out of foster care.”

“You just take care of your family. No matter what. I need them, and they needed me,” said Verneta.

It’s been 15 years since her own children moved out, but one year ago the empty house was filled with children again.

“They are 6, 8, 11 and 13. They’re all my babies. They’re family – you take care of your family,” she said.

Verneta hardly had any furniture for the kids. “The beds that people had given. They were just falling apart. Everything was falling apart. But we were still together, and that’s the important thing,” she said.

The letter was sent to the executives of Walker Furniture last year and went directly into the hands of marketing director Patti Gerace. “She was an awesome woman and just a wonderful person to take these kids and help them have a better life,” said Patti.

Touched by her letter, Patti and Walker Furniture wasted no time and headed to Verneta’s small house.

“The kids got bunk beds, I got a queen size bed, the chest and dresser, everything for my room,” said Verneta.

If Christmas miracles do exist, this was it. “You can say thank you all you want to, but there’s no way to tell them ‘thank you!’ for the change you made. There’s just no way,” cried Verneta.

A change that put smiles on the faces of these young girls and their grandmother. And it all started with one simple letter.

This year, Walker Furniture is expanding their program. On Thursday, 36 families will receive a special Christmas surprise. Walker has been donating furniture dozens of needy families since 1994.