Southern Indiana nonprofit raising funds to buy a new delivery truck to help those in need

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Jeffersonville nonprofit uses donated furniture to furnish homes for people in need.

But right now Happy Home Furniture Bank is forced to temporarily turn some people away.

The nonprofit sits inside of an 11,000 square-foot space and the items inside are constantly changing.

Pushed back on America Place Drive, you'd never guess what you'd find behind a tiny orange door.

"I had accumulated so much stuff, and I was giving it away faster than I could ever sell it," Christy Spence, owner of Happy Home Furniture Bank, said.

Through the power of donation, Happy Home Furniture Bank filled up with tables, couches and kitchenware.

"We knew that people transitioning out of homelessness and escaping domestic violence was already a thing and we knew that we could just offer a little bit that I had, we could at least start meeting a need," Spence said.

The donations help people throughout Kentucky and Indiana.

"We even are able sometimes to like give a big bunch of hangers to somebody which you don't. You don't even think about hangers," Spence said.

But the deliveries have slowed down drastically because their delivery truck recently stopped working.

Spence said it stranded them three times. Mechanics told her it would cost more than what it is worth to fix.

"We just need something way more reliable," Spence said.

They need a truck fast. The nonprofit's monthly expenses are nearly $7,000 a month. Until then, 30 families wait for the items they need.

"You really just have no idea the impact you're making on somebody's life," Spence said.

In a year and a half, the team of 10 has served more than 190 households.

"The majority of the people that we've delivered to or we get there and they've literally been sleeping on a pile of clothes or bags of clothes. And we want to change all of that," Spence said.

Happy Home Furniture Bank works exclusively with southern Indiana and Metro Louisville social service agencies to provide furniture to people in need.

They do not provide furniture directly to individuals.

"We haven't been trained for some sensitive things, some of the devastating life circumstances these people are going through," Spence said.

Happy Home delivers furniture to households on a referral basis through partner agencies like Up for Women and Children and the Coalition for the Homeless.

"It's building some confidence and pride because everything that we give away to these folks, it's theirs. There's no strings attached to it. They can do what they want with it. They can rearrange it however they want. They can paint it," Spence said.

It's a nonprofit asking for help to prevent further hardships throughout Kentuckiana.

"We just want them to feel like they they've got something that they can call their own," Spence said.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 15, you can go to the warehouse, shop and buy items that'll help raise the funds they need to buy a new truck. It is located at 252C America Place Drive in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

If you are interested in dropping off items for donation, you can Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. They accept all used furniture, but pillows and mattresses must be new.

The nonprofit opened in January 2023. Prior to its' opening, Spence owned a furniture restoration business.

The nonprofit also always needs volunteers. For more information, click here.