Santa’s elves must be moonlighting at Bellerose in the off-season – the students there have been hard at work this month making furniture for the homeless.
About 10 volunteers in the construction class at Bellerose Composite put the finishing touches on an assortment of wooden drawers, dressers and end tables Monday. The furniture is being given to Edmonton’s Homeward Trust to help new homeowners furnish their homes.
Every year the class always ends up with a few projects that students either don’t want or don’t finish, explained teacher Dennis Wright. These projects are sometimes given away, but often end up propped up against a wall or thrown out.
This year, teacher’s aide Sharon Williams mentioned that she knew of someone who worked with a women’s crisis centre and suggested that they donate these projects to charity. After a bit of research, they hooked up with Homeward Trust – a non-profit group that aims to eliminate homelessness in Edmonton by 2019.
“All the projects you see piled up here (were) partially finished by other students and left behind,” Wright said of the items stacked in the middle of the wood-shop.
“The students have helped complete them, put a finish on them, and get them ready to go.”
The result is about 20 handmade drawers, stools, tables and other items that were completed during the last few weeks.
“They’re pretty well constructed, so I think they’re going to be pleased.”
Grade 12 student Kole Bishop said he built a low table and lacquered a drawer for the charity drive.
You usually get about one or two projects left behind by each class each semester, he said. It’s a great idea to fix them up and give them to someone who will appreciate them, given that they’re just lying around unwanted right now.
These items are well built from plywood and oak, simple to fix, and far more rugged than anything you’d get from Ikea, he added.
“I do believe that these do deserve a home.”
Homeward Trust has helped house about 5,000 people since 2009 but still has some 2,305 to go, said Ryan Steil, the group’s chief operating officer. These homes give the homeless a base of operations they can use to find jobs and get stability and safety in their lives.
“It’s creating the foundation for them to get their lives back together.”
A home without furniture is just a shell, Steil continued. It costs at least $1,400 to outfit a one-bedroom apartment with a basic bed, dresser, table and couch – money the trust could instead use to house more people.
The trust instead uses donated and up-cycled furniture whenever possible, distributing it through its Find thrift shop. Trust clients get to take items from this store for free when they get their new homes.
Steil described the Bellerose donation as “incredible” and “wonderful,” saying that it was the first time that the trust had ever received such a contribution from a school.
“It’s handmade by somebody, and that means a lot to these individuals.”
The trust was very interested in partnering with schools for similar projects, he added.
This project helps students practise woodworking and teaches them about altruism, Wright said. He hopes to make it a regular event, although it will partially depend on the number of unfinished projects he has available.
The Bellerose items will be distributed through the Find store.
