Donations from family, friends, and parishioners helped the group collect a total of $1675 to bring beds and furniture to people in need.

Youth participants represented three parishes in the Mount Pearl / St John’s area: the Parish of the Good Shepherd, the Parish of the Ascension, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

In preparation for the event, youth participated in a reality check activity during a regular youth group meeting, in which they attempted to budget for a month using a range of incomes. This helped raise awareness of the importance of reaching out to struggling neighbours—loving our neighbours as ourselves.

During the “Heads Without Beds” event, some slept on the floor in the hall at the Good Shepherd, some slept on the floor in their own homes, and some spent the night in another facility outside of their homes. All left with an increased appreciation of the privileges they have been blessed with!

The post Anglican Youth Helping Others appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Heads Without Beds 2024—Home Again Furniture Bank appeared first on Anglican Life.

Archdeacon Charlene Taylor has known about and supported Home Again Furniture Bank since its inception thanks to her lifelong work with the Anglican Church. As an Archdeacon and former parish priest, her time is spent serving the community, giving support to her parishioners, and guiding people in their faith journey. Through this work she has seen first-hand why Home Again is essential for those in our communities.

“Through my parish work I often see different levels of furniture poverty. People have a roof over their head but they don’t truly have a home. Without the necessary furniture to fill it, a table to sit and have a meal around, or a bed to dream in, it’s just four walls. Home Again changes that.” said Charlene.

In Charlene’s work with the Anglican Church she has focused much of her time on improving the well-being of community members and breaking the cycle of poverty. She is aware that too often people don’t associate those who are already in stable housing as being impoverished, but one glance at a nearly empty apartment or home and Charlene can attest to just how wrong those assumptions can be.

“The Anglican Church is one of the largest referral agents for Home Again, as all of our local parishes are a safe haven for those who are experiencing furniture poverty or need help. Though we see people in some of their hardest moments, we also get to see the amazing impact of receiving furniture and the transformation it has.” said Charlene.

Home Again’s furniture recipients often share just how life-changing furniture can be in not only giving them the comfort and dignity they deserve, but also the impact it has on their physical, mental and emotional health.

“When I was living without furniture I wasn’t passionate about anything anymore, I looked around and said ‘This is the state I am going to be in forever.’ Now I am out working, I am volunteering, I exercise much more, I have animals.” said one furniture recipient.

Since Charlene experienced first-hand how Home Again was supporting our neighbours in need, it was a very simple decision for her to be a part of the Heads Without Beds fundraiser. So simple in fact she also participated in the original ‘Clergy on the Floor’ fundraiser, which was the catalyst for the expansion into the community edition of Heads Without Beds.

“I have fond memories of ‘Clergy on the Floor’ , the feeling of community as the local Anglican Clergy joined together to support one another and the mission of Home Again. We laughed, had fellowship and ended up raising over $5,000 for those who were living without furniture.” said Charlene.

Now Charlene continues to support Home Again by joining Heads Without Beds each year with her colleagues. This year, all of them slept at their office following the fun event night.

“We’re excited to gather as a whole team and support Heads Without Beds again. Even though we are giving up our bed for the night, we’ll make the most of it and have a great time. We even plan on making breakfast together in the morning.” said Charlene.

For Charlene, the opportunity to impact hundreds of lives by fundraising and simply sleeping without her bed for one night is something she is happy to do.

“Each year we have such wonderful supporters. We never set a team goal because we just hope for people to have generous hearts and to give what they can to support their neighbours. We’ve been successful in raising funds in the past and hope to continue that this year and beyond.” said Charlene.

The Anglican East NL team was in fact very successful at raising funds this year, with over $4,000 being raised and donated back to Home Again they were the top team fundraiser!

Though this fundraiser for Home Again Furniture Bank has now closed, they still need your support in order to continue delivering free furniture to those who need it most. Visit: homeagainfb.ca to see how you can get involved or become a sustaining monthly supporter by joining their community of Dreamers.

The post Home Again Furniture Bank: Spotlight on Archdeacon Charlene Taylor appeared first on Anglican Life.

This young woman had been shuffled between 17 foster homes before ending up homeless and couch surfing. Although she didn’t feel safe or happy, Leanna’s anxiety about living in an empty, unfurnished house prevented her from finding housing. 

It wasn’t until she heard of Home Again Furniture Bank that Leanna felt hopeful and motivated to find safe, stable housing. Knowing she could receive furniture – for free – meant Leanna could finally start to dream of a different and better future. 

Since that time, things previously impossible have become possible for Leanna: for more than two years, Leanna has maintained housing, a full-time job and a volunteer position on a Board of Directors. Leanna says, “Thank you. But thank you doesn’t seem big enough… my life started over.” 

Thanks to recent support from the Anglican Foundation of Canada for Making Dreams Possible, more people like Leanna will receive a bed to sleep in and the possibility of a better life. 

Every day, Home Again Furniture Bank receives new requests for items as basic as a bed to sleep in and a table to share a meal around. And every week, our volunteers deliver life-changing furniture to people throughout the Northeast Avalon region. 

More and more of our neighbours find themselves struggling without furniture basics: since 2021, Home Again has experienced a dramatic 38% increase in furniture requests. And with virtually every new request, at least one bed is needed. 

The generosity of the Anglican Foundation of Canada will be a tremendous help to those waiting for a bed. You too can have a life-changing impact on the lives of our neighbours. Your donation today will ensure the continued free delivery of the furniture needed to live with comfort, stability and dignity. 

Maureen Lymburner, Director of Development (709) 325-0072 maureenlymburner@homeagainfb.com 

To make a donation to Home Again Furniture Bank, you can look for them online at: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/homeagainfb_donate

The post Home Again: Transforming Lives With Furniture and Generosity appeared first on Anglican Life.

When you visit their website, you can see many stories from those who have been given this feeling of home thanks to the work of Home Again. Most recent is the story from Thomas Young, a man who ran his own business for years until several thefts left him unable to continue in his work, and he lost everything. Thomas was homeless for a short period of time. He now has a place of his own, and because of Home Again, he can be proud of it. He said, “To have a roof over your head and have nothing in it, I think was probably worse than being out on the street.” When he initially got his place, he had literally nothing, and spent the first few weeks sleeping on the floor. Things like a bed, a couch, a table, chairs, and lamps—simple things that many of us may take for granted, made Thomas’s house a home. The joy was overwhelming, and brought him to tears. “You can have your friends, your family, your people come and visit…We can sit down and enjoy our meals.”

Maureen Lymburner, who is the Director of Development at Home Again Furniture Bank, said, “A home is more than four walls and a roof. It’s the sofa and chairs to comfortably sit with family and friends, it’s a table to share meals around, it’s a bed to lie down on to have a good night’s sleep. A well-furnished home is safer and healthier—mentally and physically, and brings stability.”

The Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador is a founding partner, advocate, ambassador and supporter of Home Again. Each Anglican parish in the Northeast Avalon region has partnered with Home Again and is able to refer individuals and families for the furniture they need to live with comfort, stability and dignity. These partnerships have proven beneficial to many vulnerable citizens because it provides a safety net for those not connected to local social service agencies. This unique partnership also provides an opportunity for parishes to connect and provide ministry to their community in a new and different way.

One clergy member sent a referral for a single mother of two in the weeks before Christmas. The mother’s request was both simple and heartbreaking: she wanted a new bed for her teenage son who had grown so rapidly that his footboard rails needed to be removed so that he could fit in his bed. Home Again was thrilled to deliver this essential piece of furniture in time for Christmas.

The local Anglican community are key stakeholders and much valued supporters of Home Again’s work.

Home Again has many special events through the year, so be on the watch for those. As a nonprofit organization, Home Again’s generosity is possible because of the generosity of of its supporters. Your tax deductible donation will help transform a home and a life.

You can make a donation to Home Again any time. Also, people can contact Home Again to donate their gently-used furniture—details are available on their website, which is:
www.homeagainfb.ca

The post Home Again–Stability and Safety For All appeared first on Anglican Life.