The city of Manhattan, in partnership with the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University, will host the 10th annual Furniture Amnesty Day. Donators can drop off furniture in City Park or schedule a donation pickup July 28 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Furniture Amnesty Day allows local residents to donate unwanted furniture, and other residents are welcome to select from the donated goods for free.
Residents are welcome to donate sofas, chairs, desks, dressers and tables. Items such as large appliances, pianos, televisions and computers will not be accepted.
The public sign-in for selecting donated furniture begins at 8 a.m. Each household can select up to five pieces of free furniture after registering at the sign-in for a time slot between noon and 4 p.m.
Kiel Mangus, assistant city manager of Manhattan, said Furniture Amnesty Day started in 2008 and has run annually since. To date, more than 500 pieces of furniture were processed and picked up for the event by the City of Manhattan.
“The event has grown quite a bit,” Mangus said. “The city has tried to expand a little since the first few years with volunteers and has offered vehicle pickup of furniture to help the elderly/disabled that can’t load and deliver furniture.”
The event will be run by volunteers from both the City of Manhattan and the Staley School of Leadership Studies through the HandsOn Kansas State program this year, Mangus said.
Furniture Amnesty Day aids in keeping Manhattan clean by preventing unwanted furniture from being disposed of on Manhattan’s curbs and sidewalks.
“Move in/move out day was a messy time with renters dumping couches and furniture in the streets at the curb,” Mangus said. “These became a nuisance very quickly. Furniture Amnesty Day has helped clean some of that up.”
Usha Reddi, mayor of Manhattan, said Furniture Amnesty Day is good for students and other young Manhattan residents because they frequently transition from one residence to another and do not usually have the space, time or resources to properly acquire or dispose of furniture.
“Furniture Amnesty Day provides a community effort to meet the needs of these individuals in a safe area with a variety of options to pick from,” Reddi said.
Reddi said she thinks Furniture Amnesty Day mutually benefits both Manhattan and K-State.
“The university and city partnership is essential for efficient use of resources, space and time, while meeting the needs of the community,” Reddi said. “Students are a big part of Manhattan, and our community has always been actively engaged with the university. We all benefit from this partnership.”
Manhattan residents who pick furniture from the event will need to arrange their own transportation for those items.
If donators live within the Manhattan city limits, they can schedule a furniture donation pickup by City of Manhattan volunteers. Donators must fill out an online form or call 785-587-2404 by 5 p.m. July 26 to apply for the collection route.
Volunteers cannot assist with getting furniture out of a donator’s home. It must be on the curb by 7 a.m. the day of the event.
For more information about Furniture Amnesty Day, or to fill out an online form for donation pickup, visit cityofmhk.com or the 2017 Furniture Amnesty Day Facebook page.
