HFIA Members to Help Hurricane Katrina Victims

Furniture World Magazine

The Home Furnishings Independents Association (HFIA) will devote a full day at its upcoming annual meeting in New Orleans to help Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild and recover. HFIA members from around the country are donating furniture to fellow HFIA member Julian Doerr who will store the home furnishings until HFIA’s annual meeting May 7th and 8th. At that meeting HFIA attendees will volunteer their time and furnish several restored homes. “Hurricane Katrina was one of our country’s worst natural disasters,” says Mary Frye, President of the Dallas based HFIA 1,000+ member association. “It’s been a long road back for those victims and many are still waiting for a helping hand. HFIA members were among the thousands of Americans in 2005 and 2006 to individually assist Louisiana’s disaster relief. Pursuing this further, some HFIA members have expressed a desire to continue a humanitarian effort in the wake of this catastrophe. That’s why we are devoting one-half of our annual HFIA meeting to help those who want to keep helping New Orleans rebuild.” Thousands of homes in the parishes around New Orleans have been restored by numerous faith based and non-profit organizations. Many families are ready to move in. What these homes and families need are beds, mattresses, tables, chairs, sofas, lights, floor to floor, and wall to wall home furnishings. On May 8th Doerr Furniture trucks will deliver these HFIA donated items to awaiting HFIA members and staff attending the meeting who are volunteering their time to make these homes habitable. “The HFIA has always been the choice and voice of the independent-thinking home furnishings professional,” states Mary. “We are dedicated to helping our members succeed and love being asked by them to help with charitable projects like this.”