Turning Over a New Leaf in Marlborough, MA

Jill Stoodley
7 days ago
6 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

I recently had the pleasure of visiting New Life Furniture Bank of Massachusetts at their newest location in Marlborough, MA. The expansive 10,000-square-foot space — a former CrossFit center turned warehouse — is now filled to the brim with household furnishings for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.

Since opening in May 2025, volunteers at the charitable organization have been helping clients — survivors of domestic violence, veterans, immigrants, refugees, families displaced by fires — furnish their homes with nearly everything they need for a new beginning.

After just one short visit, families return home with beds, mattresses, couches, tables, kitchen items, linens, and more. All at no cost.

Can't Wait to Check Out New Life? Here's All You Need

https://newlifefb.org

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Donation Centers:

New Life Marlborough

55 Maple Street

Marlborough, MA 01752

(Does not receive mail)

New Life Walpole

102 Elm Street

Walpole, MA 02081

(Does not receive mail)

A Warehouse Full of Hope

During the tour, I was struck by the scale of the operation and the thought behind every detail...

An upstairs room devoted entirely to kitchenware — colorful bowls, dishes, and cookware, ready for Cheerios and milk, spaghetti dinners, and cozy movie nights.

Bold, patterned lamps and intricate accent tables to transform empty corners.

Shelves stocked with fresh linens, soft towels, and warm bedding.

Backrooms filled with artwork to make any space more inviting.

The sheer volume of donations was so inspiring — hundreds of gently used couches, chairs, loveseats, platform beds, bureaus, bookcases, and desks just waiting for their new owners.

Each client typically receives about 40 items, enough to ease the stress and financial burden of rebuilding a life and to make a truly life-changing difference in starting over.

Transformation in an Unexpected Place

Wandering through the warehouse, rows of dark, heavy tables caught my eye — dozens of them. Despite their size, they blended into the background, quiet, unassuming, less striking than the other pieces I'd seen. But something about them spoke to me.

During my tour with Volunteer Operations Manager Jocelyn Milton, I learned the tables were the inspiration for a powerful story of transformation.

At the Marlborough location, three volunteer technicians repair damaged donations — such a fitting metaphor for a mission based on restoration and renewal.

While the center occasionally serves large households, most clients are smaller families or individuals who have no need for oversized dining tables or their cumbersome extension panels.

So, rather than have them go to waste, volunteer carpenter Forest Lyford got creative and began crafting something new and deeply impactful: coffee tables built from the discarded leaves of those large dining sets. At 7 hours per table, the project was a labor of love, one he plans to continue with the center's surplus of leaves, now that he's gotten building them down to a science.

Forest Lyford, one of New Life's three repair techs, creates coffee tables from large dining set leaves. Each of the five tables he's built so far was a labor of love (at 7 hours per table). And now that he has it down to a science, he plans to provide many more.

From that first batch of discarded wooden leaves, five families gained a treasured centerpiece: a cozy spot for a morning coffee, the perfect place to rest tired feet, a makeshift runway for toy airplanes and miniature cars. Regardless of which room or household they end up in, each carefully crafted table brings new life — stability, safety, connection.

These tables become home.

*Volunteer George P. proudly displaying one of the tables his colleague Forest created from spare dining table leaves. George's beaming smile says it all.*

There's something so poignant in the way the table leaves — once reserved for rare family gatherings — have now become a central part of everyday life ... connecting exponentially more families with moments and memories that will last a lifetime.

Pride that Shines Through

During the tour, volunteer George P. proudly showed me the coffee table his colleague Forest had just completed. The pure joy on his face reflects how deeply their outreach resonates. George and his wife, Susan, have been with the non-profit since its doors opened nearly six months ago. While George helps repair furniture, Susan deals with the household goods upstairs. They both love the work.

George's favorite part?

"After everything's loaded in the truck, you see their appreciation," he says. "It means the world to both the clients and the volunteers."

*New Life volunteer, Kathy Macchiarola, provides a houseplant to the families she supports. She also offers holiday trinkets from the small display in the lobby.*

The infectious joy and thoughtfulness New Life's volunteers bring to each interaction are palpable. After clients complete their selections (via iPad), the team loads everything into the family's vehicle — all within about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish.

Before they leave, volunteer Kathy Macchiarola offers each family a cheerful potted plant — she's been tending to them for months in preparation for their new owners. Families are also offered seasonal holiday items from the small display in the lobby.

From hot cocoa mugs and cinnamon-spiced pinecones to the soft glow of crimson-rimmed tealights, this month's selection of holiday items offers families the warmth and comfort of tradition. For many clients, seasonal decorations are non-essentials they've had to forgo, so the thoughtful little touches mean so much. "Nothing feels better than to be able to give something they weren't expecting, like Christmas," says Kathy.

Imagine How Many More Lives Could Change

Since opening its doors only six months ago, the Marlborough warehouse — established in response to the overwhelming need at New Life's original Walpole location — has helped 65 local families build new lives.

With 32 volunteers, the program currently has the capacity to provide services for about five or six clients per week. But with additional support from new volunteers and new donations, their efforts could increase dramatically.

Volunteer Operations Manager Jocelyn Milton (pictured center) helps her clients select items from the warehouse's online inventory. The household goods are then loaded into the clients' vehicle by volunteer staff — all in a little over an hour, from start to finish! — Volunteer Operations Manager Jocelyn Milton (pictured center) helps her clients select items from the warehouse's online inventory. The household goods are then loaded into the clients' vehicle by volunteer staff — *all in a little over an hour, from start to finish!*

I was so moved by New Life Furniture Bank's mission, I'd like to shout it from the rooftops. And I plan to do just that. If you're inspired by this article and the amazing people I've featured, please check out New Life's website for all you need to know about making donations and volunteering for their incredible organization.

New Life Marlborough

55 Maple Street

Marlborough, MA 01752

newlifefb.org

About New Life Furniture Bank of Massachusetts In Their Own Words Expand to Learn More

New Life Furniture Bank of Massachusetts is a volunteer-led charitable organization that accepts donated furniture and household items and provides them — free of charge — to those in need through referring agencies.

We provide gently used household furnishings to individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.

We envision a future where no one is forced to live, eat, or sleep on the floor.

We assist individuals and families who are transitioning out of homelessness, fire survivors, those escaping domestic violence, military veterans, immigrants, and refugees. Regardless of the situation they are striving to overcome, they share a common theme; the need for a new beginning.

By empowering those we serve with the means to furnish their home, we are providing comfort, security, and hope as they rebuild their lives. At the same time, we give our donors a meaningful way to recycle their gently used furniture and housewares while keeping these items out of landfills.

*Clients with their loaded-up truck and New Life volunteers (with name tags). George P.'s wife Susan is second from the right.*

Volunteer Kathy Macchiarola (right) with raffle winner, MetroWest Women's Network member, Melissa (left). Kathy, who created this beautiful wine cork sculpture for the open house raffle, often creates art for her New Life clients. — *Volunteer Kathy Macchiarola (right) with raffle winner,* *MetroWest Women's Network* *member, Melissa (left). Kathy, who created this beautiful wine cork sculpture for the open house raffle, often creates art for her New Life clients.*

I was invited to New Life's open house through my membership with the MetroWest Women's Network — a free networking group of nearly 5,000 ambitious women in MetroWest & Central MA who support each other through unique friendships, referrals, and sharing information and knowledge. Finding out about New Life Furniture is one of the many reasons I'm so glad I joined.