Furniture Program

The ALIVE! Furniture Program is temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. The safety and health of our volunteers and clients come first. Thank you for your understanding.

About

To support people in need. ALIVE! volunteers collect furniture donated by Alexandria city residents and deliver it to Alexandrians every week – mostly Saturday mornings (and three Sundays of the year).

Areas Served

The ALIVE! furniture volunteers serve geographic areas and zip codes only in the city of Alexandria. This includes: 22301, 22302, 22304, 22305, 22206 east of I-395, 22314, and the areas of 22311 and 22312 that are in the city of Alexandria.

Generosity matters to us, but currently we do not have the ability to pick up in the “Alexandria” part of Fairfax County or outside the city limits of Alexandria. For a list of other organizations see below.

How it works

ALIVE! volunteers pick up furniture from city of Alexandria donors on Saturdays from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm (and 3 Sundays of the year from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm). They then try to get it to someone in need that day. If they cannot, then furniture is stored for a short time until it finds a home.

Donors are requested to have someone at the home for the pick-up.

PLEASE NOTE: Our volunteers exercise extreme care in moving furniture out of donor homes, but they are not professional movers. We are very grateful for the furniture donations and will be very conscious and careful in removing furniture from homes.

Type of Donations & Information for Donors

ALIVE! clients need staple furniture items such as mattresses, beds, tables, chairs, sofas, dressers and chests of drawers, and lamps.

We cannot accept king beds, trundle beds, armoires/hutches, entertainment centers, sleeper sofas, appliances, patio furniture, office furniture, or rugs. We expect scratches and other normal wear, but we cannot accept items that need repair or are in poor condition.

To donate furniture or ask questions, please contact furniture@alive-inc.org.

The ALIVE! Furniture Program is completely managed by volunteers who strive to provide a prompt response, but it may be several days before you are contacted. Please be patient.

• Our capacity is limited by time, the number of volunteers we have, and the need to match donations with needs for the week. Therefore, pick-up on a particular Saturday cannot be assumed in advance.
• If you must be rid of something by a particular day, we recommend that you not limit yourself to contacting us, and we will understand if your furniture finds another home before we can accept it.

Volunteer Opportunities with the Furniture Program

Complete the Volunteer Form, if you are interested in volunteering for our furniture program. We welcome students doing community service hours and families as long as they are accompanied by responsible adults. Volunteers should dress appropriately for the job and wear closed toe sturdy footwear.

Volunteer jobs within this program include:

• Driving a truck- may require background check/proof of license and insurance
• Helping to move furniture
• Schedulers to coordinate delivery and welcome volunteer teams (work in 2-week increments)
• Delivering food and bedding and other housewares to families receiving furniture when available
• Door holders

Volunteer operations for this program take place every week at 8:00 am on Saturdays, except for three Sundays when they take place at 1:00 pm. Most deliveries work is completed within 4-5 hours.

Furniture Request

If you need furniture, you must obtain a referral from a case worker at an agency or organization. They will contact us to request furniture for you.

Solicitudes: Si usted necesita muebles, debes de primer obtener una referencia de una agencia o organización. Ellos después nos contactará para solicitar los muebles para usted.

Referring Agencies: We no longer take requests by phone. Please email and provide the following information:

1. Your name
2. Organization
3. Phone number
4. Your client’s name
5. Address
6. Phone number
7. Email
8. Specific list of your client’s needs

We will add your client to our list of needs immediately. However, please remember that our capacity each Saturday is limited by time, number of volunteers, and the scarcity of particular items at any given time. Please feel free to contact us again if your client has not received furniture after a month.

Contact

For more information, contact us or call (703) 837-9321.

Groups that Pick Up Appliances and Furniture