The 2024 Furniture Amnesty Day in Manhattan will occur 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 26 in City Park.
FAD is an annual event which allows Manhattan residents to donate old furniture, letting others pick up the old furniture at no cost. According to the Kansas State Staley School of Leadership, 355 pieces of furniture were saved from landfills at last year’s event.
“We used to see a lot of furniture abandoned at the curb every August,” Ryan Courtright, assistant chief of risk reduction for the Manhattan Fire Department, said. “Since some companies do not pick up those large items, we were issuing a lot of code violation notices and furniture just sat and deteriorated. Furniture Amnesty Day grew out of an idea to help solve that problem and get that furniture to people who could use it.”
“I have actually seen lots of furniture recently in different neighborhoods, and around the neighborhood I drive in,” Tori Ward, a recent K-State graduate, said.
Ward is volunteering at the event this year. She said she hadn’t taken advantage of FAD when she moved into her college house because she had not known about it at the time.
“I heard about it the day before it happened last year,” she said. “I didn’t really know it existed before but I thought it was a cool concept.”
There is an online form on the City of Manhattan website for residents looking to donate. Residents can request up to five pieces of furniture for volunteers to pick up. The furniture must be outside in front of residences by 7 a.m. on July 26.
Residents who wish to shop the donated furniture can sign up starting at 8 a.m. July 26 at City Park. The available time slots are between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Any remaining furniture after 4 p.m. is open to the general public.
FAD will accept most types of furniture, such as sofas, tables and chairs. Appliances, televisions, electronics and mattresses will not be accepted.
The event still seeks volunteers for residents interested in helping with FAD. There is a volunteer form on the City of Manhattan website.
FAD is hosted by the City of Manhattan, the Staley School of Leadership, HandsOn K-State and Konza United Way.
“It’s cool it is put on by HandsOn K-State and not just for college kids,” Ward said. “It’s also to serve the community.”
