City sets Furniture Amnesty Day for July 26

Those looking to get rid of old furniture or find a new element for their homes without spending a dime will have the chance to do so next week.

The city of Manhattan on Monday announced this year’s Furniture Amnesty Day is set for July 26.

The free community event — which will take place beginning at 8 a.m. at City Park — allows people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. Anyone can participate, as there are no income requirements or forms to fill out to choose from the stock of donated items.

“August is the most common month for people in Manhattan to move,” said Ryan Courtright, assistant chief of risk reduction for the Manhattan Fire Department, in a written statement. “We used to see a lot of furniture abandoned at the curb every August. Since some refuse 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.”

Registration for those planning to take home furniture opens at 8 a.m., and each participant will have a scheduled 15-minute time slot to do “free shopping” between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Registrants can take up to five pieces of furniture, with items in a set — such as a table and chairs — counting as one. Shoppers must be able to haul away their furniture selections because delivery services will not be available.

Any furniture still available after the events at 4 p.m. will be available to anyone without registration until 4:30 p.m., when city staff members and volunteers will take it away.

Those who want to donate furniture can do so in two ways. Residents within Manhattan city limits can sign up by 5 p.m. July 24 to have volunteers pick up a maximum of five items of furniture at their curb, with each set of furniture counting as one item. To register for pickup service, visit cityofmhk.com/furniture or call the city manager’s office during regular business hours. All donated items need to be at the curb by 7 a.m. on July 26. Volunteers will not enter homes or private property to pick up donations.

The other way people can donate their furniture is by dropping it off at Miller Field in City Park between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on July 26.

Because the city will accept furniture throughout the day on July 26, there consistently will be a fresh stock of items available for shoppers, including those with time slots later in the day.

The city will accept sofas, couches, desks, recliners, headboards, chairs, entertainment centers, end tables, coffee tables and kitchen tables. It will not accept mattresses, dishwashers, pianos, grills, refrigerators, washers, dryers, televisions, monitors, computers, lamps, or other electronics.

“Generally, we don’t accept anything that needs to be plugged in,” Courtright said.

Because of ongoing construction that has Fremont Street closed between 12th and 14th streets, participants will need to access the park from 11th Street via Fremont Street to Central Park Road. Parking will be available in the lots along North Park road south of the closed Fremont Street intersection.

In the event of inclement weather on July 26, the city will cancel the event.