About Bridging Arizona
Transitioning out of homelessness is difficult on a variety of levels. One of those levels is furnishing a home. From beds to dishtowels, it can be incredibly expensive to acquire all of the furnishings and household goods that make a house a home.
Bridging AZ, a mission partner of Saint Barnabas, is Arizona’s first furniture bank. Bridging AZ’s mission is that no child within their reach should be sleeping on the floor. Located in Mesa, Bridging AZ serves as a clearinghouse for donated household goods and furniture and volunteers distribute goods to help those in need. Recipients are identified and qualified by partnering social service agencies and are enrolled in programs that support their transition from temporary to permanent housing.
Volunteers can help at the Bridging AZ warehouse by preparing furniture to go out, bundling home goods for easy distribution, and more. Most recently, the children and youth of Saint Barnabas helped bundle flatware, create hygiene kits, and paint furniture for children.
To learn how you can help, contact Jim Piscopo.
Click here to read more on our blog.
Got Legs Furniture & Décor in the News!
Our hearts swell with love for a story of our parishioners, their support for one another, our community, and our mission to make disciples. Linda Killmer nominated Jim and Donna Piscopo for the Pay it Forward Award from azfamily 3TV CBS 5 for their hard work and dedication with Got Legs Furniture & Décor.
“I have known Jim and Donna Piscopo for many years, and almost 20 years ago, Jim talked to us about opening a furniture bank. He said he wanted to collect furniture for people who are getting out of a homeless situation.” -Linda Killmer
Click here to watch this special segment of Pay it Forward on AZFamily.com
COVID-19 UPDATE | August 2020
After many setbacks (some amusing, some not so much), and over a year of planning we opened Got Legs Furniture & Décor in January. Got Legs is a retail store in Central Scottsdale offering gently used pre-owned furniture. Proceeds from sales at Got Legs supports Bridging’s mission. Additionally, Got Legs is a lovely, welcoming space for friends of Bridging AZ to volunteer. Our first two months of sales exceeded expectations! Then, around the middle of March we noted sales and traffic slowing at Got Legs, and requests for furniture from Bridging dwindling due to Covid-19. We abided by our governors mandate, shuttering both Got Legs and Bridging down in April and May. June 4 saw Bridging quietly celebrating 16 years serving the community. Bridging is currently furnishing 3-8 apartments per week for our core client: previously homeless veterans and mentally and physically disabled people. Got Legs reopened with limited ”summer” hours:
Got Legs Furniture & Décor
Thursday – Saturday | 12pm-5pm
Bridging AZ provides clients with a new full size bed, basic apartment-size furniture, brand new household goods and a $50 gift card.
We are thankful to be able serve – Jim & Donna Piscopo