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COVID has left many businesses reeling, trying to re-evaluate how to navigate new challenges. And, the nonprofit world is not an exception.

“We are continuing to see an increase in needs for our clients,” says President Brandy Pfalmer. “Unfortunately, our revenue from donations is down and we are having a hard time meeting all the needs for our individuals and families.”

In 2021, HOL has given away 116 beds to 64 families, 241 individuals which 163 are children.

“Our greatest need continued to be beds,” says Pfalmer. “But, we certainly can use tables and chairs, dressers, linens, bedding, pillows, and honestly, anything on our acceptable ‘donate’ list. I have never seen our storage units so depleted and I know we already have a large list of needs for our November drop.”

If you have items to donate or would like to make a financial donation, click “donations” below.

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August is a time for kids to return to school. August is also a time to return to House of Light.

One of our caseworkers was sharing about a family from the homeless shelter whom she had recently placed into permanent housing.

“I couldn’t think of anything more important than getting some beds to kids returning to school,” says Brandy Pfalmer, president of House of Light. “I am a mom and I couldn’t imagine my kids starting the school year without a bed. School is hard enough and I know what happens when my kids don’t get good sleep. It isn’t good.”

House of Light gave away 14 beds to 15 children last week.

“Sleep is a basic need,” Pfalmer says. “All children need a comfy bed to get that basic need.”

Our caseworkers told our group again how hard it is to get family furnishings for their clients’ homes.

House of Light served five families, including 21 people. To understand how you can be a part of the process, click Learn how you can help, below.

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I love to hear our caseworkers’ stories. Everyone usually cries. This story was no exception.

One of our caseworkers was sharing about a family from the homeless shelter whom she had recently placed into permanent housing.

“I had finally found this single mom a place to live and we were all excites,” she said.” When I saw her the next day, she confided in me that she had not stayed at her new place, but at the homeless shelter.”

The single mom explained she was too embarrassed to take her children to the home with absolutely nothing in it.

“I felt like I had already let my kids down enough,” she explained. “How was I going to ask them to sleep on the floor?”

Our caseworkers told our group again how hard it is to get family furnishings for their clients’ homes.

“There have been budget cuts everywhere,” she said. “House of Light is such a blessing to our families. We can place these families in houses, but they want a home to take their children.”

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On Friday, March 12, House of Light was able to beat the storm to give away 11 beds to six families and 27 people, including 21 kids.

“We weren’t sure if the weather forecasters were accurate,” says Brandy Pfalmer, President of House of Light (HOL). “The only thing we knew for sure was we needed to get those six families warm beds despite what the weather looked like.”

According to the “The State of Homelessness 2020” report, at least 31,207 people in the metro area (including Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson counties) accessed services or housing supports related to homelessness between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

“The people we serve at HOL are the same people in those statistics,” Pfalmer says. “I think each one of us at HOL sees faces, names and stories when we hear these numbers. If I asked anyone of our volunteers, they each would have a story about how someone’s generosity made a difference.”

To learn more how you can be involved with HOL, please contact us today.

There is always something so special about the day when families receive furniture from House of Light. January’s Giving Day was no exception. House of Light gave away 12 beds to nine families. There were 31 people and 16 kids.

“There is something in the air on these days,” said Brandy Pfalmer, House of Light President. “If I were to describe it, I would say it is a feeling of hope laced with sheer joy.”

The families ranged in ages—some were single moms and some were families.

“The most amazing thing,” said Pfalmer, “is everyone has their own unique story, but at the end of the day, we realize we can relate to them all.”

The final family to arrive that day illustrated this. It was a young mom with a new baby. This mom just wanted a place for her baby to sleep. House of Light has never taken cribs for liability purposes and therefore, doesn’t have any crib bedding either.

“It just so happens that Friday was a sorting and cleaning day for our units,” Pfalmer said. “I don’t know where it came from, but someone had donated a Pack and Play, and within our sheet donations was bedding for it. They weren’t even donated together.” It was perfect.

House of Light’s members are all moms. They know the feeling of a mom wanting a safe, warm place for her babies to sleep.

We have all heard again and again that “2020 is a year like no other!†For one family receiving furnishing from House of Light (HOL), the saying rang true in so many ways.

Last Christmas, when most families were cleaning up from the aftermath of presents and preparing Christmas dinner, this family experienced a tragic event that led to homelessness.

While a local nonprofit stepped in and placed the mom with three young daughters into a hotel, the hotel resulted in another tragic event: the girls narrowly escaped someone trying to traffic them. With one daughter with a severe auto-immune disorder, this mom and her daughters became homeless.

Fast forward almost one year later, and this single mom and her three girls have found a home with the assistance of one of our House of Light partners.

“It really is a team effort,†says Emily Schildt, House of Light Director of Community Relations. “They assist in locating housing and House of Light gives items to make it a home.†House provided beds, linens, tables and chairs, pots and pans, and dishes to the family.

“No doubt 2020 has been like no other,†says Brandy Pfalmer, HOL president. “It takes on an entirely different meaning when you hear a story like this. We just feel fortunate at HOL that we can be a part of a heart-warming story like this.â€

House of Light served nine families in the month of November, reaching 31 people including 16 children.

“This has been quite the year,” says President Brandy Pfalmer. “As a team, we are so thankful for the opportunity to serve on this mission—the needs have never been greater.”

House of Light has modified the way it gives beds and furniture to families and individuals in need, but has been able to continue to serve. Since it began, House of Light has given away almost 600 beds to almost 350 families.

House of Light gave away beds, dining sets, linens, kitchen appliances and other miscellaneous to eight families.

“We didn’t really have plans for fall break,†said one family member. “The best part of it is now we can feel like we are on vacation in our own home.â€

House of Light gave away 13 beds to 40 people, including 27 kids.

“This is why we do this,†said President Brandy Pfalmer. “As moms, we can’t imagine our own kids sleeping on the floor or not having a place to sit for meals or to do their homework.â€

The weather was recovering from an unbelievable early snowstorm and the sharp coldness still remained. However, the weather didn’t stop the planned giving day.

“Sometimes the weather is a good reminder how lucky we are,” says VP of Marketing and Communications Brandy Pfalmer. “When the snow came in, my family was tucked in their beds and very cozy. Not everyone is that lucky!”

Five families, including 11 kids, received home furnishings, linens, furniture and nine beds.

“I found it very interesting there were almost double the number of beds in comparison to the number of families,” said Pfalmer. “It just shows most of the families had more than one person within their house sleeping on the floor.”

House of Light is in its seventh year and has given away 555 beds to 333 families. To see how you can contribute, visit our Donations page.