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2002 — Indiana's first furniture bank
Founding: The Mustard Seed Furniture Bank was founded in 2002 by a group of Fort Wayne business friends and professionals — the first furniture bank in Indiana. Its model is referral-only: families rebuilding after fire, disaster or homelessness are referred by partner agencies and furnished whole households; nothing is sold in a thrift store, and the organization receives no ongoing government support, running on donated furniture, trucks and money.
Course: In November 2009 it moved from Keystone Drive to 3636 Illinois Road, doubling its capacity. The diocesan paper counted over 3,650 households served by 2010; the Furniture Banks Network's current listing counts over 11,625 households furnished.
Sources:
- WPTA, January 2024 — founded 2002 by business friends; the November 2009 Illinois Road move; the referral model.
- Today's Catholic — over 3,650 households by 2010.
- Furniture Banks Network profile — Indiana's first furniture bank; over 11,625 households; no ongoing government support.