HomeStart Foundation overwhelmed with furniture donations for Syrian refugees

A Vancouver-basedfurniture bank says it has has been overwhelmed with donations for Syrian refugees, and it now needs cash to get those donations tothose who need them.

Vancouver-based charity HomeStartFoundation collects gently-used furniture and delivers it to homes in need.

It was listed on the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. website, along with several other groups, as a charitylooking for donations for Syrian refugees coming to B.C.

Vikki Stevenson, the group's executive director, said in 10 years, she had never seen so much support.

"We all within a week had to say very kindly to them, can you please take our name off the list, because we just can't handle the number of people that are phoning trying to offer us stuff for refugees," she said.

Stevenson saidHomeStart has received double their usual furniture donations over the past several weeks, and whileit's encouraging,they also need cash donations.

"To be able to pay for the not-very-glamourous stuff like rent for our warehouse, gas for our truck, paying for our driver.It's a big challenge," she said.

For those who do have furniture to donate, she recommends hanging on to ituntil space in their warehouse opens up again.