The  Mary’s Place Make-a-Home Program partners with donors to help furnish the homes of families as they transition from living in temporary shelters to secure housing. Often, these families are starting over with an empty apartment and just a bag of belongings that they brought with them into shelter, essentially living and sleeping on the floor. The Make-a-Home program aims to help families get started with basic essentials : at minimum a couch for the family to sit on, a dining table with chairs to eat at, and a bed for every family member to sleep on. 

Lisa Sid.Design has organized furnishing on an apartment for the Make a Home Program the past 2 years. Our timing coincides around the ‘Black Friday’ sales at Thanksgiving. We meet with the family, visit the apartment, and talk to them about their needs and wish lists for the space. Over the course of 2-3 weeks, we purchase and gather donations for bedding, furniture, household items ranging from towels to silverware, water glasses to cleaning supplies. Then, on a Saturday morning, we load up a U-Haul truck, deliver and install all the items to the apartment while the family goes out for a late breakfast. Around noon, the family returns, and a ‘Big Reveal’ happens with the family of the fully furnished apartment…. Always a moment to melt anyone’s heart.

Please join us in 2026 to support another family move in to their new home! We will need donated items: used and new. We also need volunteers to help on the day of install. This is a great opportunity to support your community! And a great way to for teens to get service hours. Contact Lisa to talk about how you can help!