"It means a lot to have the Jackets here," said Phil Washburn, president of the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio. "They are a great team and a great contributor to our community. To see them come in and give back in this way and make a difference in the lives of the families of our community, it is very special for us to be a part of this."
Last year, the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio helped more than 7,000 people. Around 20 families per day are given assistance, with the organization providing up to 20 pieces of furniture for those who need it most. While much of the furniture is new and assembled by the bank and through volunteer work, there are a number of different sources who also donate used furniture to the cause.
"As much as we get donated, we don't get enough, especially of these key items -- dressers, bed frames and tables," Washburn said. "So having teams like this come in and putting things together allows us to make sure every family is getting what they need."
Today the Blue Jackets helped the Furniture Bank by building and painting new tables while also assembling small storage cubbies from pre-made kits.
"I am not super handy, but luckily, I didn't have to use any power tools today and got to paint instead," said forward Sean Kuraly, a Central Ohio native. "It was actually a lot of fun and pretty relaxing."
When asked how it feels to give back to the community, Kuraly was excited to be able to spread awareness for the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio.
"It's nice to be here in little ways, and I think most about this is just spreading awareness that this exists and that it is a way to give back," Kuraly said. "We tried to get as much done as we could, but it's probably less about what we got done and more about raising some awareness and letting people realize that if they want to give back, this is a great way to do that."
The furniture the team assembled today will already be making a quick impact on the community and will likely be in homes within two weeks.
