Late last week, the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee donated $350,000 worth of brand-new Ashley Furniture to 19 nonprofit organizations across Southeast Wisconsin. This generous contribution, part of a larger effort involving four semi-trucks of furniture, benefited a range of local organizations. 

Frank Penigar Jr. of Partners In Hope, an organization helping formerly incarcerated individuals through Community Warehouse, expressed his excitement: “This furniture is brand new, wow someone’s really going to like this.” Community Warehouse, which offers discounted home improvement supplies, received a variety of items, including couches and patio furniture, to support those re-entering society, as initially reported by WISN.

The furniture, used temporarily in RNC staff housing and convention spaces, arrived thanks to four semi-truck loads from Ashley Furniture. “The host committee was lucky enough to be the recipient of a really large furniture donation,” said Alison Prange, President and COO of the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee to WISN.

Among the nonprofits benefiting was Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, which received 30 pieces for their new Mentor Zone. Neil Willenson, President of Big Brothers Big Sisters, explained, “It makes this place so much more welcoming, so much more fun and comfortable for the children.”

Penigar emphasized the positive impact: “I’m just looking forward to seeing somebody’s face when they come and pick it up… this is a blessing.”