By Sharon K. Wolfe
BLOOMINGTON – Mothers and children are still sleeping and eating on floors for weeks despite a


downtown warehouse full of donated furniture but empty of enough volunteers.

The wait to get basic furnishings at Recycling Furniture for Families, 515 N. Center St., was six weeks until a public appeal late last fall. Now it’s a month, said Latricia Frison, operations director. She’d like to pare it down to two weeks.

The nondenominational Christian charity picks up furnishings; inventories, clean and repairs them; and delivers them where needed. They also accept drop-off donations from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More drivers and people to help move furniture are needed to avoid burnout of regular volunteers, said board member Sharon McNamara. Those shifts are 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, and people can work on a substitute basis.

Someone else is much-needed for record keeping and a couple of people for minor furniture repairs. Both jobs have flexible hours.

But the most critical shortage is volunteers for a full day or half a day at least once a month to talk to families and help them select furnishings during office hours. “You just get hooked on it — I love it,” said McNamara.

McLean County residents need to meet federal poverty guidelines of $9,800 yearly for one person and $3,400 for each additional person. Referrals come from McLean County agencies and churches. Typical households helped have a mother and children with an income of $10,000 to $15,000 from minimum wage jobs.