About Furniture Share

Furniture Share was established in May 1998 to facilitate the re-use of unwanted furniture by providing it to low income households, thus diverting it from the landfill.

Founded in 1998 by a group of volunteers led by Ginger Goviea, a Corvallis resident who took on the challenge of making good use of furniture and household items being left behind on street corners by departing and graduating students from Oregon State University. Realizing that many families and individuals in underserved populations and in unsuitable living conditions, could benefit from someone else’s discarded furniture, Ginger and her volunteers began to reach out to social service and community organizations to match the furniture with local families and individuals in need.

The operation continued for the next few years through the devotion of local community members volunteering their time and spirit to accomplish this two fold mission. In the years since, Furniture Share has grown as an organization to not only serve Corvallis residents but to branch out to all of Benton County rural communities as well as Linn and Lincoln County communities. Furniture Share continues to expand services both demographically and population wise, progressing with a 66% increase in the number of individuals served from our most recent fiscal year.

Furniture Share is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been in operation since 1998. Our mission is to provide locally grown and locally made healthy foods and redistribute quality used furniture to children, families and individuals in need, thus diverting items from the landfill. Our services provide improved family interactions, local healthy food options, increased comfort and safety in homes, improving overall wellness, independence, physical and mental health. In FY 21/22 Furniture Share diverted 29,693 quality used furniture items totaling 742.3 tons from the landfill by distributing them to 4,569 individuals. 1,952 children and 517 Veterans received a bed and 4,569 Food Boxes were distributed. 

Furniture Share services provide improved family interactions, increased comfort and safety in homes, the ability to sleep comfortably, eat meals together, and study comfortably. Studies show that furnished homes for families with nothing due to prior homelessness or domestic violence increased wellness, independence, and physical and mental health.

Furniture Share addresses a long-standing need in the community by providing the mutual solution to two problems:

  • An abundance of usable furniture going into the landfill
  • Too many households in the community doing without the basic furniture amenities
Our priority is to provide services to those in transition to promote self-help and self-sustainability, giving children, families and individuals the sense of belonging and self-worth within our community. These target populations consist of but are not limited to physically or developmentally disabled, frail, elderly, escaping domestic violence, mental illness, homeless and those who have previously experienced (or are at high risk for) homelessness, alcohol and/or other drug addictions. The demographic description of these populations is 30% below poverty level defined as extremely low median income levels. However, the general public will also benefit from our services as the overall investment of our resources will translate into expanded value for our community as all those who live within and/or visit our community will benefit from this project as there will be healthier food options to individuals in need and less reusable furnishings going to the landfill preserving the environment.