Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan > Meijer Family Spotlight > Meijer Family Spotlight – April 2023

Meijer Family Spotlight

April 2023

Welcome to our Meijer Family Spotlight Series, where we’ll feature just a few of the 2,300 families we’re providing with beds and furniture each year.

Each family who is featured will receive a $250 Meijer gift card… and we thank Meijer for their generous support of the Furniture Bank and the families we serve!

Meet Janith

Janith Bryson was introduced to the Furniture Bank at a very difficult time in her life. She receives disability, which made her unable to work and was living with family members before finding a new apartment of her own. 

Janith was thrilled to find a senior living facility that she could afford – a place of her own! Living on a fixed income meant that she could not afford furniture while still paying for rent, groceries, and other basic living expenses.

Janith Bryson is our Meijer Spotlight for the month of April.

She did not have a sofa, chairs, a dining table, or other basics, which forced her to live much of her life on the floor. She already suffered from anxiety and living this way began to affect her mental health.

“I was embarrassed to have visitors because I was sitting on the floor before receiving help from the Furniture Bank. It was miserable!” says Jan.

The Furniture Bank provided Janith with the ability to feel comfortable in her own home… and the dignity that comes with the ability to invite others into it. She feels less anxious and is ready to move forward with her life. 

Jerika's children putting together a puzzle

Janith can now call her house a home after receiving furniture from the Furniture Bank.

“I am enjoying my furniture and now feel happy to have visitors,” says Janith. “It is hard when you are doing it by yourself. The Furniture Bank helped me during a very difficult time. My house is now a home, and I am so grateful.”

Janith was one of the individuals the Furniture Bank helped in 2022, providing 18,500 items valued at more than $1 million. She received a $250 Meijer gift card, with which she can put food on the table and other basic needs.

Meijer

Meijer is a family-owned retailer committed to enriching lives in the communities it serves, following a simple philosophy established by their founder:

“Take care of your customers, team members and community … and all of them will take care of you, just like a family.”

– Fred Meijer