WASHINGTON, D.C.—With nearly 2,000 homes and commercial buildings already destroyed in southern California due to raging wildfires, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is urging the hospitality community to help rebuild the lives of victims by donating gently-used furniture and funds to nonprofit partner the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA). NFBA accepts and provides free pickup service for used furniture, which is distributed to those in need through furniture banks across the country, including several in California working to restore the lives and homes of wildfire victims.
“AH&LA is making it a priority to serve as a link between the hospitality community and those in need through this partnership with NFBA, utilizing our members’ existing resources in the most efficient way,” says AH&LA President/CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA. “Recognizing the public’s tremendous need for furniture donations after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, AH&LA and NFBA have teamed up to inform our socially conscious industry, already involved in numerous charitable initiatives, of yet another way they can assist in this arena of giving.”
The AH&LA and NFBA partnership connects hotels with local furniture banks as a solution to ease the waste management burden of furniture removal in an eco-friendly way while also benefiting the local community. According to a 2005 AH&LA study, the hospitality industry donates approximately $815 million annually in charitable donations and actions, with $62 million attributed to donations of goods, including linens and furniture.
Annually, NFBA works with retailers, manufacturers and hotels to collect approximately 1 million pieces of furniture, distributed to 100,000 needy families who have fallen victim to natural disasters, domestic violence, or who are living just above the poverty line.
For more information on AH&LA and NFBA, visit www.ahla.com or www.help1up.org.
