Saturday, April 30, was no ordinary donor drop off day, as anyone coming to Household Goods to deliver furniture, sheets, towels, and other household items discovered.

Instead, donors were welcomed by a full team of orange-shirted volunteers and festive balloons, treated to kids’ games, music, and food, and offered the opportunity to tour the Household Goods showroom.

Sharon Martens, Household Goods Executive Director, said, “So often, people come, drop off their goods donations and drive away. Rarely do they have the chance to see how critical a role they play in our mission of helping 2,500 families make a home every year.”

Visitors entering the Household Goods showroom saw a series of room vignettes put together with items currently available for clients – a living room complete with a couch, chairs, rug, lamp and coffee table; a bedroom with a queen-sized bed (all made up with sheets, pillows and a comforter), dresser, and bedside table; and a kitchen table and chairs set for a family of four. Volunteers then took visitors on a tour of the showroom, explaining how clients select their furniture and goods. They saw the mattress room, the dresser room (one dresser per family!), the linens and dishes room, and the rooms where clients choose small appliances, rugs, lamps, tables, chairs and sundry household goods.

Donor after donor said how eye-opening the visit was, and how much better they understood the Household Goods “model”. One donor was so inspired that she returned a half hour later with a second load of items, and another said “I’ve been coming here for years, but I had no idea how thoughtfully everything is organized and displayed.”

Laura Moore, M.Ed. of ClutterClarity, and sponsor of Donor Appreciation Day, was on hand to offer people essential tips on how to make organizing, downsizing, and moving easier. Attendees received a free PDF copy of Paper Clarity: What to Keep, Where and When to Shred! Visitors also enjoyed coffee, cookies, ice cream donated by Reasons to be Cheerful, and live music from The Rusted Bucket Band.

Household Goods is grateful to its volunteers, without whom this event could not have happened, and Event Sponsor ClutterClarity, ice cream donor Reasons to be Cheerful of Concord, and Cambridge-based The Rusted Bucket Band.