Join us in recognizing
10 years of service
Founded in 2016, theExchange matches donated home goods and furniture to help provide essential items for neighbors in need at no cost. We partner with 30+ local housing agencies and serve around 500 households annually. Giving items a second life with new families diverts over 250,000 lbs of materials from the landfill each year making this service a win-win-win for the community. We couldn't do this without our amazing volunteers, donors, and you!
Strong beginnings
In 2016, as the La Crosse community joined together to help veterans find proper housing, Sister Karen reached out to Sheila Riley for a place to store donated furniture. This quickly grew into something much bigger including collecting home essentials, matching items to client needs, and delivering those pieces to the new homes. As the volunteer-powered program grew so did the core team who made it all possible.
Sheila Riley, Joan Waniger, Cindy Sahlstrom, and Mary Muller, worked in tandem to coordinate the moving pieces, recruiting additional volunteers and donations and establishing the foundation of theExchange. Together with early board members and community partners like the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, they built the framework for our success!
Powered by volunteers
Volunteers have always been the core of theExchange. From picking up and sorting donations to walking alongside clients as they dream about their new home and delivering those items soon after, our volunteers do it all, and we couldn't do it without them!
With a small but effective team of part-time staff, our volunteers help us keep overhead costs low so we can offer this program free of charge to the community.
Interested in volunteering? Learn more here!
A circular community
From circular economy to circular community! It's a win-win-win by community supporting community through the abundance that our La Crosse region has to offer.
At theExchange:
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We link donated items with local requests to provide a sense of home to our neighbors at no cost to clients. We serve 500+ households annually!
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We offer a chance to extend the life of valuable items and keep them out of the landfill (and storage units), diverting over 250,000 lbs from the landfill each year.
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Volunteers give of their time and talents and create lasting connections and a sense of community with one another, our partners, and the neighbors we serve.
We are so grateful for every in-kind donations received whether it's a single item dropped off, a group cleaning supply drive, or an entire estate. Every gift adds up!
Big wins over the decade
Over the past decade, theExchange has been fortunate to receive some larger gifts that positioned us for success and helped us grow from the garage of the Pink Palace to rent-free space in a warehouse on Causeway Blvd to our current building on 4th Street.
Our growth wouldn't have been possible without support from the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Crosse Area Community Foundation, Women's Fund, City of La Crosse ARPA funds, and many generous individual donors.
Thanks to these gifts, we were able to lay a strong foundation for the program through the purchase of our building, truck, and trailers.
How you can help!
Help us make the next decade an even bigger success:
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Share our story and invite a friend to learn about our services and ways they can get involved.
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Sign up to volunteer.
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Keep us in mind as you clear out items that could be re-homed with others who would appreciate them.
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Make a tax deductible, monetary donation! Donated items help make this service free to clients, but there are still core costs to making this magic happen.
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Give securely online or mail a check to theExchange at 1009 4th St S, La Crosse, WI 54601
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Shelter Development, Inc. is a registered 501c3 that runs theExchange Furniture Bank.
(Tax ID: 47-1538865) Your contribution is fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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