Furniture Amnesty Day will take place Friday, July 26, starting at 8 a.m. in City Park. Furniture Amnesty Day is a community event that gives people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. In 2023, 355 pieces of furniture were kept from landfills and instead went free to Manhattan homes.
Anyone can participate. There are no income requirements or forms to fill out to select donated items. Registration for furniture shopping begins at City Park starting at 8 a.m. on the day of the event.
Free shopping will be scheduled in 15-minute timeslots from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants can return to the park at their scheduled time and take home up to five furniture items at no cost. Items in a set, such as a table and chairs, will only count as one item. No additional paperwork is needed. Furniture will continue to be gathered and dropped off throughout the day, so there will always be a fresh selection of goods.
Assignments to pick furniture will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Any furniture left after 4 p.m. is open to the general public.
Please note: Volunteers can help to load furniture into vehicles, but participants will need to arrange their own method of transport.
Acceptable donations include:
- Sofas/couches
- Desks
- End tables
- Recliners
- Chairs
- Kitchen tables
- Coffee tables
- Dressers
- Headboards
- Entertainment centers
Donations that will not be accepted include:
- Dishwashers
- Pianos
- Grills
- Washers/dryers
- Televisions/monitors
- Mattresses
- Refrigerators
- Computers
- Lamps
Volunteers are available to pick up furniture donations at the curb for anyone in the Manhattan city limits. This year, volunteers will only pick up a maximum of five furniture items per location. Please note, furniture sets such as a table and chairs will still only count as one item. To register for pickup service, please sign up online at cityofmhk.com/furniture or call the city manager’s office at 785-587-2404 during regular business hours. The deadline to register for pickup service is 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 24. Please note, all items for donation pick up need to be at the curb by 7 a.m. Friday, June 26. Volunteers will not enter homes to pick up donated furniture.
Donations can also be dropped off at Miller Field in City Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 26.
At 3:30 p.m., the event will end. Any remaining pieces will be hauled away by staff and volunteers.
If weather conditions prevent the event from taking place on July 26, it will be canceled.
Volunteers needed
It takes lots of help to make Furniture Amnesty Day happen. HandsOn Kansas State is organizing the volunteer effort again this year. Anyone interested in helping can sign up online here. Volunteers can choose which three-hour shift works best with their schedule. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
Manhattan’s annual Furniture Amnesty Day is hosted by the city of Manhattan, Staley School of Leadership, HandsOn Kansas State and Konza United Way. For more information, visit cityofMHK.com/furniture.
