Customer Policies

REFERRALS AND APPOINTMENTS

  • You will need a referral from an approved agency before you can visit our store.
    • Your referral is valid for 30 days.
    • You are only allowed 1 referral over your lifetime.
  • Once you have a referral, you need to schedule an appointment to pick up your items.
    • Your agency can do this for you via our website or
    • You can do this via our automated text system. To start the process, text SCHEDULE to 774-206-9321.
  • Please do not contact Fresh Start to schedule an appointment.
  • If you are going to cancel an appointment, you must do so at least 48 hours in advance by:
    • Contacting your agency and have them cancel it online.
    • Texting DELETE to 774-206-9321.
  • If you cancel less than 48 hours from your appointment, we will close your referral if you do this 2 times.
  • If you do not show up for your appointment, we will close your referral and you will not be able to get a new referral for 6 months!

ABOUT OUR FURNITURE AND OTHER ITEMS

  • All of the items that we distribute are free.  We distribute gently used furniture and household goods that have been donated to us.  We do our best to maintain high-quality standards.
  • Please measure your rooms before your appointment so you know what will fit.
  • You can view our current inventory by visiting FreshStartFurnitureBank.org/inventory.php.  We suggest you do this before visiting so that you have an idea as to what will fit in your rooms.
  • Our inventory fluctuates daily, so we cannot guarantee that we will have specific items when you arrive.
  • Once an item leaves our store, it cannot be returned or exchanged. 

Shopping

  • When you arrive at Fresh Start for your appointment, stop at the main door. Someone will come to your vehicle, check you in, and show you where to park.
  • We will provide you with a tablet that will allow you to shop online for the items you need. A Personal Shopper will assist you with selecting items.
  • You are only allowed 1 visit, and during that visit, you must select your home goods (linens, dishes, cookware, etc) and furniture. Please bring a vehicle that is large enough to hold all of your items.

Vehicles

  • Please be sure to bring a vehicle large enough to take all of the furniture that you need.
  • If you are obtaining furniture, we suggest bringing a box truck (i.e. U-Haul) or a pickup truck. 
    • A pickup truck will greatly limit the number of items that you are allowed to select.
    • We do NOT recommend U-Haul vans as they don’t hold very much. A 15′ U-Haul truck holds 3 times more. If you are going to rent a van, try to get a Penske van, as they hold 50% more.
    • A 10-foot box truck is probably sufficient for a small studio apartment.
    • A 15-foot box truck is a good size for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. It has over 2 times the space of a 10′ truck and only costs $10 more.
    • A 17-20 foot truck will handle just about anything and will make loading and unloading much easier.
    • The mileage cost is the same for all of the trucks, so get the largest that you can afford.
    • Mileage charges for U-Haul are $0.79/mile on weekdays and $0.99/mile on weekends, so consider this if you’re driving a long distance.
    • Most rental trucks need to be reserved 3-10 days in advance. 
    • Truck rentals are much more expensive and difficult to obtain near the end/start of the month.
  • Our volunteers will load box trucks and pickup trucks only. You will be responsible for loading cars or vans.
  • If you are only obtaining home goods, you can use a car or a van.
  • Please remove all unnecessary items from your vehicle to make room for your furniture.
  • If you are using an open vehicle (i.e. pickup truck) or wish to use a roof rack, you are responsible for safely securing your items to the vehicle.
    • Bring ropes or tie-down straps to secure items. 
    • Bring tarps if it looks like it might rain or snow. 
  • If you are bringing a work truck, please remove all tools and materials from the truck so you will have sufficient space.

PICKING UP FURNITURE

  • Arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment time. If you are late, it will reduce your shopping time.
  • Bring as few people as possible..
  • In the case of bad weather:
    • Check our website (www.FreshStartFurnitureBank.org) to see if we are open. 
    • We will try to send a text message to you if we are closed.
    • You will need to reschedule your appointment if we are closed due to bad weather.

Location

  • Fresh Start is located at 16 Brent Drive in Hudson, MA (Look for the New England Infrastructure sign and our A-frame near the top of the hill).
  • You can contact us at 508-485-2080 or info@FreshStartFurnitureBank.org if you have any questions.