Furniture Shopping Day

Most new international students arrive in Columbus with only two suitcases. Many then move into empty apartments. It’s not uncommon for international students to sleep without a mattress and do all of their schoolwork on the floor because they don’t have furniture for their apartments. Each fall, IFI volunteers take students furniture shopping in order to purchase the things they need to comfortably live in Columbus. This year’s furniture shopping day is Saturday, September 17th.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Drive students to sales 8:00am – noon – You will be given a list of sales, maps, instructions, and other things you'll need to help your shoppers succeed.
2. Organize or host a garage sale – Get together with members of your small group or church fellowship to gather, store, and price items for the day of the sale. For more information on hosting a sale, click here.
3. Donate items for a sale or donate storage space – We will need people to store items for the sale and we will need people to donate furnishings for the sale. If you would like to donate furnishings, please contact Karen at 294-2434 (here is a list of needed furnishings).
4. Drive a rented truck to pick up furniture from garage sales - Two-person teams needed in the trucks; two-person teams in a car to follow each truck, and help loading also needed. Two 4-hour shifts per truck, 11am -3pm and 3pm – 7pm.
5. Use your own pickup truck or minivan to deliver furniture - Two-person crews, two 4-hour shifts: 1:30pm to 4:00pm, 3:30pm to 6:30pm. Students will help to load and unload their own items.
6. Oversee one of the two central drop-off locations - Make sure that every item unloaded from the big trucks has a SOLD tag on it. Match the ID of students claiming items with the SOLD tag on each item they claim. Assign deliveries to the pickup truck or minivan drivers OR allow willing students to carry their purchases home themselves. No lifting and carrying on your part is required. Two 4-hour shifts, 12:30pm to 3:30pm, 3:00pm to 6:30pm.
7. Work in the IFI office - Assemble drivers' packets, Sept 9 - 12. Take drivers' calls for deliveries and plan deliveries on Sept. 13. 8:30am to 12:30 or later, depending on the task.