Bob’s Discount Furniture Stores Begins “2006 Annual Backpack Drive” For School Children

Furniture World Magazine

Bob's Discount Furniture, the fast-growing New England furniture retailer with 22 stores located throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and New Hampshire, and Housing Families Inc., Malden, MA announced today the kick-off of the “2006 Annual Backpack Drive” to benefit school age children and their families. The Bob’s Discount Furniture Stores located in Natick, Stoughton and Saugus, Massachusetts will be accepting school supplies and backpacks through the end of August 2006 that will be distributed to hundreds of homeless families in the Boston, Malden and Medford, MA areas. “While homeless families struggle everyday just to survive, the needs of sending a child to school can become a tremendous financial burden. We hope to make the beginning of the school season a happier one for many of these families,” explained Cathy Poulin, public relations director and television personality, Bob’s Discount Furniture. “As everybody knows, our future lies in the hands of our children. So, helping these children living with their families in homeless shelters to receive a decent education is vital to the strength of our community”. Poulin made an in-store appearance at the Bob’s Discount Furniture location, 1450 Worcester Road (Rt. 9), Natick, MA, (508) 656-1010, across from Shoppers’ World, on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to promote the 2006 Annual Backpack Drive. Various prizes and free food were given away to people donating items. Along with backpacks, suggested school supply items to donate include markers, pens, erasers, crayons, highlighters, colored pencils, loose leaf binders, notebooks, folders, tape, dictionaries, rulers, calculators, loose leaf paper, glue, index cards and graph paper. The supplies were distributed to the children at the end of August 2006. Donations were also accepted at Housing Families, Inc., 354 Cross Street, Malden, MA. Housing Families Inc. (formerly known as Tri-City Family Housing) was founded in 1986 by community members concerned about the growing crisis of homelessness among families in the cities of Everett, Malden and Medford. Since then, Housing Families Inc. has grown into one of the largest providers of family shelter in Massachusetts. Housing Families Inc. works to end family homelessness in the number of area communities by providing safe, temporary shelter, creating affordable housing and offering individualized supportive services to family members of all ages. For more information about Housing Families, visit www.tri-cityhousing.org or call (781) 322-9119. About Bob's Discount Furniture The fast-growing New England furniture retailer with 22 stores located throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and New Hampshire, Bob's Discount Furniture has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty through its unique shopping environment, customer service commitment and everyday low prices. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of quality furniture that surpasses their "discount" expectations. As a part of the overall shopping experience, many of the Bob's locations have complimentary cafés featuring gourmet coffee, fresh baked cookies and candy, while other locations offer home theater and video arcade entertainment. Known for their unique style of television and radio advertising, Bob Kaufman, president, and Cathy Poulin, public relations director, have been inviting customers for over a decade to "Come on down!" About Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation Through the Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and its many charitable contributions and sponsorships, Bob, Cathy and all of Bob's Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations. Among the many supported charities are Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Salvation Army Marshall House Youth and Family Emergency Shelter, National Conference for Community Justice, American Red Cross, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and many more. In March 2006, Poulin participated in the "Dance for a Cause" competition in Hartford to raise money and awareness for the National Pajama Program and Lil' Iguana's Children's Safety Foundation. Poulin was also awarded Woman Of The Year for 2006 by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For more information, visit www.mybobs.com.