Bring A Chair To The Table For A Good Cause
Art Van Furniture’s upcoming chair auction and food drive will benefit The Salvation Army
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., – With the current economic disaster impacting new lives every day in our cities and suburbs, more and more local families in need are turning to The Salvation Army for basic necessities like food and shelter.
Adding to the concern are scores of stories of bare shelves at local food pantries. Food pantry locations in Plymouth and Pontiac have already made headlines for their lack of available food, and other food banks throughout Michigan are hurting as well.
The Bring a Chair to the Table for The Salvation Army Auction and Food Drive project by Art Van Furniture couldn’t come at a better time.
In honor of its 50th Anniversary in 2009, Art Van, along with Flagstar Bank, is partnering with The Salvation Army during Doing the Most Good Week, May 10-16, to build up the nonprofit’s nonperishable food inventory. Both organizations are urging local residents to clean out their own pantries and drop off non-perishable food items May 9-18 at any Art Van Furniture store in Michigan. Visit www.artvan.com for the store nearest you.
“It is because of companies like Art Van, Flagstar and the people of the metro Detroit that we stand ready to give people a hand up to help them out of their current situation,” said. Lt. Colonel Norman Marshall, divisional commander of The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “Thanks to programs like Bring a Chair to the Table, The Salvation Army is able to serve the victims of job loss, home foreclosure and lack of healthcare from the moment of impact until the healing is complete and they’re back on their feet.”
In addition to food items, funds are also needed to ensure the food banks stay stocked throughout the year. To assist with this, Art Van Furniture is auctioning off 30 signature Art Van dining chairs (valued at $300 each) designed and decorated by students from the College for Creative Studies Fine Arts and Interior Design departments. Each Art Van store will display a chair from May 9-18 that will be up for bid through an online auction at www.artvan.com. Visitors to Art Van stores will have the opportunity to preview the chairs and images of each chair will be available online.
All proceeds of the auction and food drive will benefit The Salvation Army.
"Art Van Furniture is thrilled to celebrate 50 years of serving Michigan communities,” said Art Van Elslander, Founder and Chairman of Art Van Furniture. “Bring a Chair to the Table for The Salvation Army is a wonderful opportunity to support Michigan families in need."
For store locations and hours, visit www.artvan.com.
Founded by William Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. In 2008, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing more than 3 million meals and 776,973 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.83 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.