Furnished returns Oct. 30-Nov. 6 with its friendly design competition and virtual auction.

Furnish For Good is a volunteer-run nonprofit started in 2019 by Priscilla Chapman, Mary Beth Hollett and Lesley Faulkner. In its nearly 4,000-square-foot showroom near uptown, donated items are staged into vignettes — dining rooms, living rooms and other spaces — and clients who are transitioning out of homelessness and poverty into permanent housing can choose furnishings for their homes. Since its inception three years ago, the organization has expanded its reach into the community and now has 28 partner agencies, including the Salvation Army, CMS, Roof Above and Communities in Schools.

One of the organization’s newest partners is Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency, a public-private nonprofit that helps refugees find housing and employment opportunities, enroll children in school, and more. “Many of our clients are just coming with what they have, what they can carry,” says Annsley Banks, the agency’s volunteer and donations coordinator. Since the agency doesn’t have movers or a truck, Furnish For Good helps not only by providing furnishings for clients but also with the physical aspect of delivering furniture to their new homes. “We’re incredibly grateful for the partnership,” Banks says.

From Oct. 30-Nov. 6, Furnish For Good will hold Furnished, its annual fundraiser. Local interior designers will create vignettes for the virtual event, and members of the community are invited to vote for their favorite design. There will also be an online silent auction of items donated by the designers. This year, nine designers and one team of interior architecture and design students from Queens University of Charlotte will participate in the fundraiser.

In 2021, FFG served 351 neighbors in need and delivered more than 6,000 furnishings and household goods. The need for its services is so great, the organization will move this fall to a new facility that’s more than double the space of its current home.

“Furnished is so much more than a competition of voting or making a bid on a silent auction item,” says Chapman, executive director of FFG. “This event is a game changer for our mission. It is a true testament to the heart and commitment of our designers, our supporters and our friends to ensure that every person in Charlotte has a dignified, functional and beautiful home.”

SouthPark Magazine is the media sponsor for Furnished, which takes place online Oct. 30 – Nov. 6 at ffgfurnished.com. Learn more about Furnish For Good at furnishforgood.org and follow on Instagram @furnishforgoodorg