Mike R. is a warehouse volunteer at Bridging. Retiring from his professional career at 3-M two years ago, he describes how he listened to the guidance of his wife, Amy, who is also a Bridging volunteer:

“She said I could retire, but I had to have a plan to contribute to society,” says Mike with a smile.

While employed at 3-M, a Bridging corporate partner, Mike participated in several dresser builds with his colleagues. Through these group volunteer opportunities, he learned about Bridging’s work of providing a foundational home setup to thousands of households each year.

When Mike retired, volunteering at Bridging’s Roseville warehouse twice per week was a great fit. Ever since, he has enjoyed contributing to Bridging’s mission by collecting donations at the warehouse drop-off doors, interacting with donors and clients of Bridging, and moving furniture and household goods throughout the warehouse.

Last winter Mike noticed that the inventory of couches was really low, and he wanted to help.

“I thought, ‘I have a truck. I can do something to bring more couches in. I started looking on Facebook Marketplace for people who were selling couches for free or low cost. I would say, ‘If you can’t sell it, let me know, and I will come pick it up and bring it to Bridging,” he says.

And this is where Mike’s retirement hobby of couch collecting for Bridging began.

Mike received many responses from his Facebook contacts, and he was soon making daily drives to pick up couches within a five-mile radius from his home. Every Monday and Wednesday he would bring in one or two couches. He says that because of his honed skill of organizing inventory at Bridging, he could stack and secure two couches at time in his pickup truck, allowing him to transport four couches to Bridging per week.

As Mike focused his time and energy on finding more quality couches on Facebook, his wife Amy zeroed in on free furniture and household items on the local Buy Nothing group that she hosts.

As his project grew, Mike created an Excel spreadsheet to track the number of couches he picked up and donated. The spreadsheet has expanded to include 18 categories of household items — couches, loveseats, chairs, desks, lamps, mirrors, bookcases, rugs small appliances — including “almost any item in Bridging’s warehouse that someone needs for their home.”

In total, Mike has picked up and donated more than 60 couches and loveseats!

Mike ensures that each item he picks up from donors meets Bridging’s high quality standards. If a couch needs minor refurbishing, Mike will take it home and clean the upholstery or buff the leather, so it is an extraordinary piece for clients who shop at Bridging.

“It’s exciting to see the couches in the warehouse, have them selected by someone, and moved out to their homes in such a short period of time. Last Wednesday, I brought in a sofa before 9:00 a.m., and I saw it loaded back in on someone’s trunk before noon!”

Mike’s dedication to Bridging and his couch-collecting hobby is a daily endeavor.

“It’s a good addiction. I watch Facebook Marketplace all the time. You have to be fast to get the quality items. I’ll ask Amy, ‘What do you think about this couch?’ We try to think about what might be most appealing to clients.”

Mike finds great satisfaction in his volunteering role at Bridging and the couch collecting that he does on the side to benefit Bridging. He finds great joy in his interactions with people connected to Bridging —the warehouse crew, donors, and recipients of furnishings at Bridging.

“The happiest people I’ve ever seen are the people picking up their furniture from Bridging at the loading door. It’s my biggest reward.”