1/31/24 C & G Special Edition — Macomb/Grosse Pointes

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

LOCAL NONPROFITS AIM TO END HOMELESSNESS BY FURNISHING HOMES

BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Humble Design is turning houses into homes with its unique approach to ending the cycle of homelessness.

It all began in 2009 when Treger Strasberg, the CEO and founder of Humble Design, was new to the Detroit area. Upon discovering that her new friend, a mother of two, was homeless, she helped the family find a new place but soon realized that it wasn’t enough. The family was sleeping

the floor, and that was a thought that Strasberg could not bear, so she got to work.

Strasberg began collecting items for the family by looking to other friends for donations. Through this process, she was able to furnish and decorate the space in a way that reflected the family and instilled confidence.

Since 2009, the nonprofit has grown from its Detroit origins to serve Chicago,

Military museum’s vintage vehicles have a new home

BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnewsc.com

METRO DETROIT — After the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum lost the ability to store its vintage military vehicles on the city of Warren’s Department of Public Works property, Koucar Management stepped up to provide a large indoor storage space in Detroit.

The space includes 10,000 square feet of storage and 12,000 square feet for the museum, according to Thomas Cleaver, the fundraising and media manager for the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum.

“At Warren DPW, we had about eight vehicles outside. Now we have all of our vehicles inside with room for another 10 to 12,” Cleaver said. “It is a dream come true for us.”

According to Cleaver, the nonprofit has a lease for $1 a year.

“We’re looking to help however we can,” said Devin Pacheco, Koucar Management’s digital marketing director. “We fully support the military. We also want to help the community in preserving some of the history of not only the vehicles, but also the military’s efforts. Koucar Management has roots in military equipment production, so this feels like a natural fit in preserving history.”

In December 2023, the museum started looking for a new space for its fleet of historic trucks, Jeeps, military cars and armored vehicles, according to Cleaver.

“We have a new partner in history,” said John Lind, founder and director of the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum. “They believe in our mission. We are overjoyed and grateful for their generous response.”

The city of Warren now needs the space that the museum See MUSEUM on page 9A

on

ABOVE: After escaping an abusive relationship and facing homelessness, Humble Design transformed Shaniece’s place into an inspiring space where she can raise her daughter.

TOP: Last June, Humble Design decorated Shaniece and her 1-year-old daughter’s home, providing a safe and comfortable environment for the two.

The Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum’s fleet of vintage military vehicles was moved to secure indoor storage space owned by Koucar Management in January.

Photo provided by John Lind

Middle school sports — to cut, or not to cut?

BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Cutting students from middle school sports teams is a topic that’s sure to spark debate, especially among parents.

Supporters of no-cut sports say the goal of school-based athletics should be to encourage inclusivity, allowing students of all athletic types to contribute to a team while learning personal growth and development, healthy communication, and a team-oriented work ethic.

Those on the other side of the fence argue that cuts are necessary to prepare children for the disappointments experienced in adulthood and to assure the space, time and resources that each team needs won’t be spread too thin.

Most, if not all, public schools in the area offer students the opportunity to try out for, or be automatically welcomed on, a middle school sports team.

Bloomfield Hills Schools offers several athletic opportunities within its two middle schools.

“We’ve had both cut and no-cut sports since before my taking over as the athletic director 18 years ago,” said Mike Cowdrey, the athletic director for Bloomfield Hills Schools. “At the middle school level, we have as large an offering as any middle school that I’m aware of.”

The district, Cowdrey explained, looks at roster sizes when determining if a sport should be cut or no-cut.

“It’s a cut sport strictly based on roster size and what we can handle as a team, effectively work with, and participate in a game,” he said. “For our middle school basketball, we carry 15, because we have a rule in the middle school league that we play in. The first half is actually three periods, not two, and the first period you play your starting

five, the second period you play your next five, and the third period you play your third five. That is based on talent and ability level. Then in the second half, which is only two periods, you play whoever you’d like. Even though it is a cut sport, everyone on the team plays at the middle school level in our league.”

A few of the teams students must try out for include travel basketball, tennis, soccer and volleyball, to name a few.

Over at Lakeview Public Schools, Sean Zaborowski, the executive director of athletics and operations, said that, typically, sports that do cuts have roster limitations, which is what makes cuts necessary. At the middle school level, boys and girls basketball and volleyball have cuts, while football, cross country, wrestling, swim and track do not have cuts.

Lakeview art teachers host yoga classes, help animals

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Sharada Sharp and Katie Schuur, the co-owners of Pawsitive Stretch, host puppy yoga on weekends and provide much-needed happiness for both humans and animals.

Sharp and Schuur first fell in love with the idea of puppy yoga — that’s yoga among playful puppies — when they took a class in Toronto.

“It was amazing. (We) fell in love with it and realized there’s nothing like this in Michigan,” Sharp said. “So what can we do to bring it to Michigan?”

Schuur said they spent all summer getting certified and building the business. The certification included learning

the poses, learning the history of yoga, taking quizzes and other requirements all through an online platform.

“It was a pretty complex program, but we were determined to do it,” Sharp said.

Both Schuur and Sharp are art teachers at Lakeview High School, and they teach yoga classes on weekends. The location of the classes switches all the time since they consider themselves a mobile studio. They’ve partnered with different studios as well as shelters to utilize their spaces.

“The Humane Society has a space set up for that,” Schuur said. “Or like the one we were at yesterday; they had that space set up. And then those animals are right there so you can just easily bring them in.”

Sharp added it’s not always convenient for some of the

LEFT: Bloomfield Hills Public Schools middle school students play basketball, which district officials said is a cut sport due to allowable roster sizes. ABOVE: Middle school students in the Bloomfield Hills Public School district take off during a cross country race, which is a no-cut sport. Photos provided by Bloomfield Hills Public Schools

Madison Hogue, of South Lyon, plays with a puppy while practicing yoga at Pawsitive Stretch in St. Clair Shores on Jan. 15.

Photo by Donna Dalziel

“Parents typically understand that there are limits to roster sizes and know that, in a sport like basketball or volleyball, we can only carry 12-15 players,” Zaborowski said in an email.

When asked if the district had ever considered registering two teams for the same school in the same age group, Zaborowski said it’s not something they could do because of the league they are in.

“The league that we play in, our middle school league, they don’t do that, so we can only have one seventh grade team and one eighth grade team for football, basketball, volleyball and those sports,” he said.

Whether a student makes a team or doesn’t, all Bloomfield Hills district coaches have individual meetings with each student to share the news.

“For every coach in our district, the worst thing they have to do is make cuts,” said Cowdrey. “They absolutely hate it, because it’s hard to tell a young person who came out there and tried and wanted to be on the team that, unfortunately, they didn’t make it.”

When sharing unfortunate news, coaches try to explain where a student may have come up short and give them examples of the areas in which they may need to get better so they can improve their chances for the next tryout session.

Some may opt to try out for a no-cut sport — like football, cross country, swimming, diving, wrestling, track and field, lacrosse, and more — which also allows students to travel to compete against other schools. No-cut sports are a great opportunity for students who want to try something new, without the stress of tryouts.

Since no-cut teams are typically larger, there is no guarantee that each student will get equal playing time, but they are guaranteed a spot on the team.

“Our football team, which is a non-cut sport at the middle school level, while everyone may not play in the game, if both teams have enough kids on their teams, we have a halftime game where those kids who are not starters or are not large contributors to the actual game get to play a shortened game at halftime so they get to participate as well,” Cowdrey said. “That’s something we’ve done for a long time.”

Many schools across the state, including Bloomfield Hills, are seeing a decreased number of student football players.

“Some of those halftime games have

been lessened and are not actually taking place because teams might not have enough on their team to do that,” Cowdry noted.

When there are large roster sizes in sports, like football and track, Zaborowski said Lakeview coaches try to ensure that participants get some time in the games each time they play.

“At the middle school level, many of the sports rules in our league have requirements for players to get into the games for a minimum amount of time. This helps parents at least see their child participate in the games each time they play. For the most part, the parents appreciate knowing their child will be participating in each game if they are on a sports team,” he wrote.

Within the Bloomfield Hills district, all students also have the opportunity to join one of the middle school no-cut intramural sports teams — including basketball, soccer and volleyball — which do not compete against other schools.

Because Lakeview Middle School — like many other middle schools in the area — runs four sports seasons, students are able to try multiple sports at the middle school level.

“As an example, our boys basketball season and wrestling seasons do not occur at the same time, so a player could try both sports in the same school year,” Zaborowski wrote.

If a student gets cut from a school team, they have the option of trying out a no-cut sport at the middle school or playing recreationally, if they still want to pursue playing the sport they were cut from.

“If a player were to get cut from volleyball — which is a fall sport — the coaches typically encourage them to try another sport, which could be cross country that also happens in the fall,” Zaborowski said in an email. “If a player were to get cut from basketball — as an example — the coaches have encouraged them to try to still play, and there are local options that allow players to participate … such as the St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation basketball league that starts in mid-January.”

Whatever the sport or team composition, Cowdry agrees that students learn a number of things by participating in athletics — like teamwork, time management, how to deal with adversity, hard work, dedication and many other life lessons.

“Most importantly, athletics is an extension of the classroom, so we’re learning life lessons through sports. We would like to win some games along the way, but really that’s not our goal,” Cowdrey said.

NEWS & NOTES

MSGCU ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

METRO DETROIT — Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union is accepting applications through Feb. 27 for its annual scholarship program.

Credit union representatives are offering 33 scholarships of $2,500 each to help local students and educators reach career goals, and 14 scholarships of $2,000 each to support future first responders.

Scholarship applications can be submitted online at msgcu.org/ scholarships. Nonmembers are welcome to apply for an MSGCU scholarship and must become a member if selected as a scholarship recipient.

PACKARD PROVING GROUNDS OFFERS UNIQUE PREPAREDNESS PROGRAMS

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Township is host a three-part series on dealing with disasters. While set up for those affiliated with the proving grounds, it also will offer useful information for anyone running a business or nonprofit, and even homeowners. The next event will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Feb. 12 and address how to protect archives and artifacts from fire and water damage. At the same time March 11, the topic will be “insurance pitfalls.” The first program took place Jan. 22, after press time, and addressed fire and EMS at historic sites, programs and events. For more information or to buy tickets, visit packardprovinggrounds.org/preparing-for-disasters. The cost is $5 per session for those who are not Friends of the Packard Proving Grounds.

MSU EXTENSION FOUNDATIONS OF GARDENING COURSE BEGINS FEB. 1

METRO DETROIT — Registration is now open for the Michigan State University Extension’s Foundations of Gardening winter session.

Foundations of Gardening is a 10-week online MSU Extension course with live sessions from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights, beginning Feb. 1 and running through April 11.

Sessions for the comprehensive certificate course are delivered by MSU Extension horticulture experts. Learning modules include readings, videos and interactive activities. The course is entirely electronic. Sessions are set to include plant science for gardeners, soils and plant growth, the basics of plant propagation, entomology for gardeners, smart lawn care, gardening with flowers, environmental gardening, and trees and shrubs. Plant diseases, pests and problems, and growing fruits and vegetables will also be discussed.

The cost for the course is $350. To register or for more information, visit canr.msu.edu/courses/foundations-ofgardening.

2024 SMART GARDENING CONFERENCE TO BE HELD MARCH 9

METRO DETROIT — The Michigan State University Extension will host the 2024 Smart Gardening Conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, at the Wayne County Community College District’s Ted Scott Campus in Belleville.

The cost to attend the conference is $100. Topics include an introduction to smart gardening, micro plantings for macro impact, urban agriculture and gardening, mite and insect problems, and inspiring plants and garden designs. Scholarship opportunities are available. The WCCCD Ted Scott Campus is located at 9555 Haggerty Road. To register or for more information, visit events.anr.msu.edu/2024smartgardeningconference.

WINNING FUTURES LOOKING FOR OPEN SPACE, VOLUNTEERS

WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS/MADISON HEIGHTS — Thirty years ago in 1994, local businessman Sam Cupp created a program called Winning Futures. Through the program, professionals from the community mentor high school students with life skills, financial literacy, job readiness training, goal setting and career exploration.

Winning Futures is still going strong, and is seeking community members to help with its mission. The organization works with the following schools: Community High School, in Sterling Heights; Warren Mott High School, in Warren; Harper Woods High School, in Harper Woods; Pontiac Academy for Excellence, in Pontiac; and Cass Technical High School, Communication & Media Arts High School and Mumford High School, in Detroit.

Because the program continues to expand, representatives are looking for donated office space, primarily in the Warren, Troy, Sterling Heights, Southfield, or Madison Heights area. Volunteers also are needed to assist with the Winning Futures scholarship program, and for the organization’s annual fundraising gala, Corks & Forks, on March 9 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.

Anyone with office space to donate and those interested in volunteering can contact Kris Marshall at Kris@WinningFutures.org. Winning Futures is also looking for donations for upcoming fundraising events, such as sports tickets, merchandise, electronics and gift cards. Contact Shernitha Gray at (586) 294-8449 or Shernitha@ WinningFutures.org to make a donation or for more information.

Yoga

from page 3A

foster families to drive around since they live all over.

The first class they hosted was in September with A ReJoyceful Animal Rescue.

Pawsitive Stretch donates a minimum of 25% of their proceeds to animal charities. The puppies in the yoga classes are either rescue or foster animals and Schuur and Sharp help get the puppies adopted.

“We wanted to make sure the puppies that we were working with were coming from rescues so that we could give a donation to the rescue and also provide a platform for those dogs to get adopted,” Sharp said.

They’ve since received suggestions about doing “kitten yoga,” so they explored that avenue as well.

“It started off small and we’ve been able to help so many rescues and get countless dogs adopted which is amazing,” Sharp said.

They also post the needs lists of the charities before the classes for participants who wish to donate items.

“We try to make sure that the rescue feels well taken care of,” Sharp said.

The charities they have partnered with are Almost Home Animal Rescue, New

Hope Pet Rescue, A ReJoyceful Animal Rescue, Last Day Dog Rescue, Colony Cat Club Detroit, Canine Companions, Great Lakes Dog Rescue, Humane Society of Macomb, Animal Welfare Society of Southeastern Michigan and Making Miracles Animal Rescue.

The humans who come to the yoga classes have a lot of fun while participating. Sharp said classes are really therapeutic with yoga and the puppies combined.

“Everyone’s smiling and giggling, and no one’s taking the yoga really seriously,” Sharp said. “It’s more about socializing with the animals.”

Schuur said they’ve had great reviews.

“They have a lot of fun. We have a lot of fun,” Schuur said. “It benefits everyone. It benefits the animals, the shelters, the people coming.”

The puppies enjoy the classes as much as the humans. Sharp said coming to the yoga sessions allows the puppies time to socialize and run around. She shared what she heard from a woman who fosters dogs through Last Day Dog Rescue who brought her nine puppies to three classes.

“She told us at one of the classes, ‘This is the biggest space they’ve had to run around in in a while,’” Sharp said. “So they just had fun. Just a lot of zoomies, which is great.”

The yoga classes cost $40 and that includes a 45-minute class and 15 minutes of playtime or photos with the puppies. Sharp said they sometimes have different events, including one called “Puppies and Prosecco.” They also have an event coming up called Coffee and Cats.

“We’re partnering not only with Colony Cat Club, that’s the rescue, and Dino Detroit, it’s a mountain climbing studio, but they’re also bringing Detroit Coffee Club and Junk Jules who does pastries,” Sharp said. “So it will be like a collaborative event

where people can do the cat yoga and then also have some coffee and treats afterwards.”

Schuur and Sharp both love what they do.

“Our faces hurt from smiling after class,” Sharp said. “It’s just you feel so good that you’re helping but also just personally seeing all those smiling faces, wagging tails — it’s awesome.”

According to their website, participants must be 18 years old or older. Participants are asked not to bring their own pets with them. Yoga mats will be provided.

Editors:

Brian Louwers | (586) 498-1089 | brianlouwers@candgnews.com

Annie Bates | (586) 498-1071 | abates@candgnews.com

David Wallace | (586) 498-1053 | dwallace@candgnews.com

Sports:

Jonathan Szczepaniak | (586) 498-1090 | sports@candgnews.com

Artroom: (586) 498-1036 | ads@candgnews.com

Classifieds: For ad rates (586) 498-8100

Main Office: 13650 E. 11 Mile Road Warren, MI 48089 (586) 498-8000 facebook.com/candgnews @candgnews candgnews.com

For retail ad rates: Karen Bozimowski | (586) 498-1032 | kboz@candgnews.com

Legals and Obits: (586) 498-1099

Automotive Advertising: Louise Millar | (586) 498-1054 | lmillar@candgnews.com

Real Estate Advertising: Paula Kaspor | (586) 498-1055 | pkaspor@candgnews.com

Museum

from page 1A

had been using for its own growing fleet of vehicles.

“It was supposed to have been a temporary situation, and time went on for six years,” said Warren Communications Director Clarissa Cayton.

In 2017, the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy reached an agreement with the city of Warren to build a new museum at Veterans Memorial Park, less than a mile away from the historic former home of the U.S. Army’s Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant. The Warren City Council approved the agreement on Feb. 28, 2017. The agreement was announced by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts on March 2, 2017.

Cayton said that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that put everything in a tailspin and prolonged the process of Lind removing his vintage vehicles.

“The timing of everything was just bad. Had COVID not occurred, he (Lind) probably would have been able to get his footing and get the monies that he needed for his nonprofit to have a place. That’s what we want him to have, a museum, but our storage is not a museum,” Cayton said.

Some of the city’s new vehicles include

large snow removal trucks, which can take more than a year from when the trucks are ordered to be outfitted with the necessary equipment, and then delivered to the city. The space for those vehicles was not needed before but is needed now, according to Cayton.

The new location of the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum is 19144 Glendale St. in Detroit, near Interstate 96 and the Southfield Freeway.

The museum hopes to open in its new location and exhibit a plethora of artifacts that will include radios, uniforms, weapons and more at the new location sometime within the next year, according to Lind.

“The most popular exhibits are the vehicles,” Lind said. “Since this is the motor capital of the world, people have a real love affair with the vehicles.”

Within the next year, the museum hopes to acquire a Michigan-built Sherman tank and other items, said Cleaver. Negotiations are underway.

“We’re looking for volunteers and contractors to help us with the needs of (the) museum building,” said Cleaver. “People who have an interest in donating military vehicles, we gladly accept those.”

Those interested in volunteering or donating can contact Cleaver at (586) 4639400.

Stephens

Precinct 6. Pleasantview School, 16501 Toepfer

Precinct 7. Eaton Academy, 21450 Universal

Precinct 8. Eaton Academy, 21450 Universal

Precinct 9. Love Life Church, 17363 Toepfer

Precinct 10. Love Life Church, 17363 Toepfer

Precinct 11. St. Thomas Church, 23801 Kelly Road

Precinct 12. Forest Park School, 18361 Forest

Precinct 13. Spindler Park/Patriot Bldg., 19400 Stephens

Precinct 14. Koepsell Elementary, 21760 Raven

Sample ballots can be found at www.mi.gov/vote, or at the Eastpointe Clerk’s Office, 23200 Gratiot Ave. Eastpointe, MI 48021.

BE IT NOTICED: Absentee Ballots are available for all elections; registered voters may contact the local clerk’s office to obtain an application for an absentee voter ballot. The Eastpointe Clerk’s Office will be open on Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the purpose of accepting applications for Absentee Ballots.

To comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), voting instructions will be available in audio format and in Braille.

Arrangements for obtaining the instructions in these alternative formats can be made by contacting the Clerk’s Office in advance of the election. All polling place locations are accessible for voters with disabilities.

The Clerk’s Office can be reached at (586) 445-3661 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

A PUBLIC ACCURACY TEST WILL BE CONDUCTED MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024 AT 10:00 A.M., EASTPOINTE

CITY HALL, 23200 GRATIOT, EASTPOINTE, MI 48021 FOR THE PURPOSE OF TESTING THE ACCURACY OF THE TABULATING ELECTION EQUIPMENT.

NOTICE: The Early Vote Closing/Receiving Board will be conducted Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at Eastpointe City Hall, 23200 Gratiot Avenue, Eastpointe, Michigan 48021 at 8:00 p.m.

Mariah Walton

Eastpointe City Clerk

Published: C & G Newspapers Macomb County/Grosse Pointe Special Edition 01/31/2024

Homes

from page 1A

Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle. Humble Design has furnished more than 2,800 homes for more than 8,100 individuals exiting homeless shelters. According to its website, “Families who have benefited from Humble Design have had a 99% success rate of remaining in their homes.”

“Facing housing instability in one way or another is destabilizing, and it does affect mental health. That foundation of stability and a home that really works for you, it’s almost immeasurable,” said Chris Tull, the executive director of Humble Design Detroit.

Tull said that Humble Design’s clients come through its network of approximately 26 social service agencies and shelters that Humble Design partners with in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, including Lighthouse in Pontiac and Cass Community Social Services in Detroit. Typically, a caseworker working with an individual or family will make the referral to Humble Design after the individual or family has secured a place to live.

After the intake process, Humble Design schedules the client for the “deco day,” which can be up to three to four weeks out. Once the client has been scheduled, the designers begin talking to the client directly to get design ideas. The team of designers utilizes donated items to create furnished spaces for their clients.

Oakland County resident Ashley D., a mother of four, turned to Humble Design about five years ago after exiting a shelter. She described her family’s experience with

Humble Design as ‘not just a home makeover, but a whole life makeover.’

She said that it felt like her family had returned to a new house after the designers were done.

“I couldn’t believe they could do all that so quickly,” Ashley said. “They even had dinner cooking for us in the kitchen, which I was not expecting. They had a new slow cooker and food in the kitchen, so I didn’t even have to cook dinner. It was just a wonderful experience.”

Ashley said she was impressed with how the designers made use of the space and managed to remember the small details that she had mentioned to them, down to the framed photo of the band Kiss in her children’s room, and the dainty trinkets on her dresser.

“It gave the kids comfort and me comfort, and I was able to focus on other things. I guess that’s how we were able to stay so long, because they were able to relax more, and I got a better job,” Ashley stated.

After renting the house, she purchased the home on her birthday a few years ago.

The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan is a stone’s throw away from Humble Design in Pontiac, said Robert Boyle, the furniture bank’s executive director.

“It’s kind of a little coincidence, the gentleman who owns their building; I know him because he was the one who sold us ours many, many years ago,” Boyle said.

The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan has been around since 1968 and, like Humble Design, serves Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Similar to Humble Design, the Fur-

niture Bank of Southeastern Michigan also works with a caseworker to connect those in need with gently used furnishings for their living spaces. However, the Furniture Bank operates slightly differently than Humble Design; The Furniture Bank does not offer interior design services and only provides basic furnishings and housewares. The clients pay around 10 to 15 cents on the dollar of the resale value of the furniture to help keep operations going.

“You may pay $200. But for $200, you’re gonna get a dining table and four chairs, three mattresses, three box springs, a couple of dressers, a sofa and a living room chair. And very often, our referral partners have the dollars to cover that through grants,” Boyle stated.

Both nonprofits expressed that there is a great need for these kinds of services.

“We’ve doubled the numbers of families that we’re serving on an annual basis,” Boyle said. “And coming out of the pandemic, with the expiration of the eviction moratorium and high inflation, we’ve seen referrals tick up another 30% over the past few years. So the need is really like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

In 2023, the Furniture Bank helped just over 2,000 families and provided about 18,000 items valued at $1 million. Humble Design Detroit furnished 151 homes in total last year, which impacted 485 people; 306 of those people were children and 15 were veterans.

Twin beds for children are a highly desired item for which both nonprofits expressed a need.

“We take a lot of pride in getting kids into beds. A lot of times, the bedrooms and

beds we put kids in are often the first bed or bedroom they’ve ever had,” Tull said. “I think if you asked anybody here at Humble, that is probably the most gratifying thing that we’re able to provide. When kids see their bedroom for the first time, they generally are charging straight to the bed.”

Humble Design accepts gently used mattress donations and monetary donations for beds. Through its Beds for Kids program, the Furniture Bank was able to raise $30,000 last year with help from local foundations.

“We want families to feel good about the homes that they’re living in and themselves so they can live happy, stable, dignified lives, the way many of us do and many of us take for granted. So if people have things that they can donate, please, there’s a lot of great organizations. The Furniture Bank is one of them, Humble Design is another, and there’s all kinds of others out there. Please make sure that before you just put something in good repair out on the curb, make sure you try to give it to somebody who could really, really use it,” Boyle stated.

For more information on Humble Design, visit humbledesign.org/detroit. To learn more about The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan, visit furniturebank.org.