Fresh Start Furniture Bank

Fresh Start Furniture Bank is a furniture store in Hudson, MA, that operates as a volunteer-run charity collecting donated furniture and home goods from the public and distributing them at no cost to people in need. It holds a rating of 4.90.

The organization has operated since 2013, during which more than 5,000 homes and over 13,500 people have been furnished with more than 200,000 items that would otherwise have reached a landfill. Fresh Start runs with one part-time employee, while its volunteers contribute more than 16,000 hours of service each year. To receive furniture, clients must first obtain a referral from one of more than 800 registered social service agencies and then visit the store within 30 days, where a personal shopper helps them select items. The store stocks just about everything needed to furnish a household, with current critical-need items including blankets, new pillows, mattresses, microwaves, bath towels, twin and full headboards, side tables, can openers, and pots and pans. The people served include those escaping abusive domestic situations, individuals leaving shelters or recovery residences, people recovering from physical or mental illness or addiction, veterans, victims of fires, floods, or hurricanes, refugees and recent immigrants, and low-income families and individuals. Clients travel from across Massachusetts, from Western Massachusetts to Fall River and Gloucester, to receive assistance. The staff is led by Director Maria Duffy, Volunteer Coordinator Odelle Wells, and Operations Manager Mark Pollard, with governance provided by a Board of Directors chaired in interim by Sandra Coker. Fresh Start has been named Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year for 2025 and received the 2019 Small Nonprofit Excellence Award.

The store is on Brent Drive, about a fifth of a mile from Main Street, roughly four-tenths of a mile from Charter Oak Country Club, and within three-quarters of a mile of the Kane Well and Chestnut Street Natural Area preserves.

Fresh Start Furniture Bank draws its strength from the trust reflected in its 4.90 rating, the steady growth of its annual impact since 2013, and the broad base of volunteers and agency partners that keep its work going year after year.

In Hudson, the organization stands out as a community resource that turns donated household goods into fresh starts for thousands of families across Massachusetts.