Clear the Clutter and Donate Your Gently Used Household Items

DES MOINES, IA (04/12/2010)(readMedia)-- Each year, thousands of domestic violence victims across the state flee their homes and must start over. Often, these individuals have little more than the clothes on their back.

Children & Families of Iowa has teamed up with the FreeStore, a nonprofit organization that provides gently used household items to domestic violence victims, to provide basic necessities to clients free of charge.

The Fill the Mayflower event comes just in time for spring cleaning. The FreeStore, in partnership with Children & Families of Iowa, Select Van and Storage--a Mayflower company, Valley West Mall and Iowa Barbeque Society will collect donations. The goal is to fill the Mayflower trailer with household items for victims of domestic violence. This year's event will be held Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16 in the southwest corner of the Valley West Mall parking lot-corner of Westown Parkway and Valley West Drive.

Donations of new or gently used household items will be accepted, such as furniture, kitchen items, bed linens and small appliances. All of the items will be delivered to the FreeStore and distributed to victims of domestic violence, free of charge, as they set up their new homes. In addition, monetary donations are always welcome.

Drop off your donations and know you will be helping a family start a new, better chapter in their lives. Stick around for lunch, provided by the Iowa Barbeque Society, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a $5 suggested donation.

Thanks to donors like you, the FreeStore was able to provide household goods to over 650 victims of domestic violence and their families last year. For more information or a complete list of items needed, please visit www.thefreestore.org or call 515.223.8329.

About Children & Families of Iowa

Children & Families of Iowa is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring hope, building futures and changing lives throughout Iowa. With offices in Fort Dodge, Des Moines, Ankeny, Osceola and Centerville, Children & Families of Iowa is restoring hope for victims of domestic violence, helping teens find their futures, creating safe homes for children, preparing children to succeed and helping people reshape their lives. Last year, Children & Families of Iowa served more than 21,000 individuals in all of Iowa's 99 counties.

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