WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Lebanon nonprofit that provides furniture and household essentials to families in need received a major boost this week when Rooms to Go donated an entire semi-truck full of furniture.
FAM Essentials collects furniture from the community every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and delivers items to recipients on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month.
Click here for more information about FAM Essentials and the services they provide.
The organization gives furniture and other household items to people who are working to rebuild their lives.
"These are families that are starting over. They've got on their feet, got a job, got an apartment, but don't have furniture, or money for furniture," FAM Essentials founder Jeff Hallums said.
The donation came at a critical time.
"About 4 months ago our warehouse was empty," Hallums said.
The Rooms to Go truck brought a wide variety of items families need most.
"We've got recliners, couches, chest of drawers, dressers. It is full all the way to the back," Hallums said.
In addition to Rooms To Go, Sam’s Club in Lebanon donated dozens of kitchen tables and chairs.
Unloading the truck required extra hands, in addition to helpers from Rooms To Go, and FAM Essentials volunteers, more than 100 Cumberland University football players, who had just finished practice, stopped by to help volunteers move the furniture into the warehouse.
For at least one of those players, the decision to help was personal.
"I'm from Lebanon and anything that I can do to help the community, I'm willing to do," said Jaylen Abston, a football player for Cumberland University.
The work was no small task — and the players still had a weightlifting session waiting for them afterward.
For Hallums, moments like these are a reminder of why the work matters.
"To see a kid that's been sleeping on the floor, he now has a bed to sleep on. And how excited he is, it puts things in perspective for you," Hallums said.
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