Bob’s Discount Furniture is proud to continue the yearly tradition of our “Days of Giving” program. For the past six years, we have given our employees, customers, and social media followers the opportunity to nominate a charity or non-profit that holds a special place in their hearts.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a charity or non-profit for consideration. We enjoyed reading over 400 submissions and the impact these organizations have had on your local communities. With so many nominations, it was a very tough task to select 12 organizations to receive a $1,000 Random Act of Kindness (RAK) check.
Without further ado, here are our 12 selections for organizations who are spreading love and kindness in unique and impactful ways in their local communities!
Ozzie's Kids
Ozzie’s Kids (Massachusetts)
The volunteer team at Ozzie’s Kids believe that no child should do without a little something under the tree on Christmas morning. This belief was inspired by Ozzie Hardy, a retired Haverhill Police Officer, that for 30 years helped thousands of Haverhill, Mass. children have a little something under the tree on Christmas morning with the help of countless volunteers and donations. Although this organization’s namesake sadly passed in 2019, his legacy lives on in his community through the tireless work on the Ozzie’s Kids team.
Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter
Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (Maryland)
Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) is an open-admission shelter that accepts and cares for all animals in need regardless of health, history of abuse or neglect, age or temperament. In a given year, BARCS services over 12,000 dogs, cats and small companions pets, along with farm animals, wildlife and exotic animals. They are an essential service to Baltimore, operating as a safe haven and community resource 365 days a year—every year since 2005. Their staff and volunteers pour their heart and soul into every animal’s life they save, the myriad of chores performed around their facility and the resources they provide to members of their community. That’s what BARCS is all about: thousands of individual moments, choices and successes that make up the bigger picture.
Heart of Surfing
Heart of Surfing (New Jersey)
Heart of Surfing is a grassroots, local organization – made up of incredible volunteers that believe that everyone has the ability to participate and have fun. The organization was founded in 2014 by Cindy & Bob Fertsch, inspired by their own son Jamie, who loved riding the waves.
Their mission is to create positive experiences for individuals with autism and/or other developmental disabilities through recreational activities. They offer surfing, skateboarding/scootering, roller skating, ice skating and more!
Beauty Bus
Beauty Bus (California)
Beauty Bus delivers loving kindness, support and compassion to seriously ill patients and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services. They offer their services through pop-up salons, visits to hospitals and social service partners, online beauty tutorials as well as complimentary “bags of beauty” filled with donated personal care items.
Beauty Bus was founded in memory of Melissa Marantz Nealy, whose life was cut short at the young age of 28 by a degenerative neuromuscular disease. In an effort to lift her spirits when she became homebound, her family arranged for in-home haircuts, manicures, and facials. Melissa said these treatments made her feel “human again.”
Melissa’s family founded Beauty Bus Foundation in 2009 to offer this same experience of dignity, hope and respite to other families when they need it most.
Tunnels to Towers
Tunnel to Towers Foundation (New York)
Since 9/11, Tunnels to Towers Foundation has been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. They are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Tunnels to Towers was founded by the family of Firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller. On September 11, 2001, Stephen, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear. Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others. Stephen’s life and heroic death serve as a reminder to us all to live life to the fullest and to spend our time here on earth doing good – this is his legacy.
Food for Children, Inc
Food For Children, Inc. (New Hampshire)
Food for Children, Inc. is a non-profit, non-denominational ministry providing food, encouragement, the distribution of clothing, prayer, and other essential items of necessity to those in Manchester, NH community who struggle in meeting their everyday needs.
Food for Children, Inc. was the inspiration of two young women who spent a Saturday morning making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be given to children in the inner city of Manchester, NH. Over time, the needs of the community expanded as did Food for Children, Inc.’s operations. Through its volunteers’ connections with local businesses, they moved from peanut butter sandwiches to prepackaged groceries and eventually broadened the variety of goods to be distributed to the families every Saturday morning.
In addition to hosting an outdoor food pantry every week, Food for Children, Inc. volunteers also organize seasonal events like turkey distributions and a Christmas Meal.
Battlecorn Care Packages
Battlecorn Care Packages (Wisconsin)
Battlecorn Care Packages creates and sends care packages for children battling cancer. The organization is the inspiration of the founder’s daughter Jaycee, who was diagnosed with brain cancer (Choroid Plexus Carcinoma) in January of 2020. While dealing with the devastation of the news, the amount of love and support Jaycee’s family received from friends, family, and beyond allowed her to keep a smile on her face every day!
Through their daughter’s journey the family decided that the best way to pay the kindness forward was to send as much love as possible to children that never asked to be sick. The team of volunteers puts together care packages for any child battling a cancer diagnosis that has kept them away from their families or even just stuck in the house unable to play and just be a kid.
The Healing Chair
The Healing Chair (Missouri)
The Healing Chair loans reclining lift chairs to mastectomy patients to aid in their recovery at home after they are released from the hospital. This act of kindness and support stems from the organization’s belief that a warm embrace has the power to heal! Through the comfort of The Healing Chair and a circle of caring survivors and friends, their mission is to embrace and support breast cancer patients during the healing process.
The Healing Chair (St. Louis) was born out of a story that illuminated bravery and perseverance. Loving friends and family gave their founder, Carol Mullenix, the original “healing” chair, a recliner-lift chair, that she used to aid her in post-surgery recovery at home. The Healing Chair grew from there and has now touched lives in St. Louis and beyond.
The Blessing Board
The Blessing Board (Pennsylvania)
The Blessing Board is a nonprofit organization committed to furnishing homes and changing lives by collecting furniture, household items and home medical equipment and giving it to those in need at no cost.
In 2007, The Blessing Board was born in a Pittsburgh, PA church from the simple idea there were some people that had furniture and household items to give and there were those that had none. The people of this church embraced this idea, and The Blessing Board was born and ready to serve those in need.
Since its humble beginnings, The Blessing Board has grown exponentially, becoming the only regional furniture bank in Western Pennsylvania with warehouses in Shaler and West Mifflin. They average 400 calls a month for assistance and are on track to helping over 1,500 families this year.
Rosie’s Southside Animal Shelter
Rosie’s Southside Animal Shelter (Indiana)
The mission of Rosie’s Southside Animal Shelter is to rescue at-risk dogs and cats and nurture and restore them to happy healthy lives in loving homes.
Rosie Ellis is the shelter’s founder. From the very first kitten Rosie rescued, she put her heart and soul into animal rescue. Rosie started rescuing stray kittens in her home in 1987 and in 1994 she and her son purchased the property where the shelter current resides. After receiving her 501(c)3 status in 1995 and winning zoning approval, she and her staff starting building Rosie’s Southside Animal Shelter.
Thank you to Rosie, her staff and volunteers along with the entire rescue community for improving the lives of so many.
Share the Warmth
Share the Warmth of Lenawee (Michigan)
Share the Warmth is the largest adult co-ed shelter in Lenawee County, housing up to 62 individuals at a time. Through its year-round emergency homeless shelter, Share the Warmth provides a safe, welcoming environment so no individual or family ever has to spend the night outdoors because they cannot find safe shelter.
In 2024, Share the Warmth’s shelter has housed 351 unduplicated individuals, including 24 veterans and four high school students, and served close to 24,00 meals so far. They also provide intensive case management, life skills classes including financial management and budgeting.
Share the Warmth partners with community services to encourage self-sufficiency. Partner organizations help to provide the shelter’s guests with on-site health screenings, mental health counseling, workforce development, and job placement. As a result of their support and services, 209 individuals have moved into permanent housing while in their program.
The organization’s vision is to be a beacon of hope for the homeless that provides a compassionate environment as their guests take the path forward.
Sueños Basketball
Sueños Basketball (Massachusetts)
Jose Dilone and his wife Jacqueline Marte-Dilone are the founders of Sueños Basketball, a non-profit organization that cultivates a passion for basketball while promoting holistic character development in young athletes.
Sueños Basketball is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization that focuses on empowering our young athletes to achieve their fullest potential through teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship. Since their incorporation in August of 2015, they have worked to establish a vision of a vibrant community where every child has the opportunity to thrive in a supportive environment, fostering confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love for sports.
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