Don’t Wait, Donate! Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley
Story by Tracy Nicholson
Photography by Dan Francis Photography
Curbs shouldn't have all the fun on Spring Cleanup Week. If you want your treasures to avoid the trash, take a detour that delivers hope to homes. In the words of Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley (FMRRV), "Don't wait, donate!" Behind the scenes, Executive Director Jordan McCormick ensures families get what they need, and every gently used item finds a new home. At FMRRV’s newly expanded warehouse, he shared what they stock, why they're determined to fix what’s broken, and how your family can help other families rebuild a beautiful life — one bed, sofa, dresser, and chair at a time.
Faith & Furniture
While Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley (FMRRV) spent much of its first year in 2019 gaining recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, today, the organization is gaining momentum. In 2025 alone, FMRRV surpassed 14,000 pieces of furniture gifted, with a total of 50,000 gifted since 2020. In nonprofit math, that adds up to more than 30,000 hours of coordinating volunteers, donors, pickups, deliveries, trucks, storage, and furniture refurbishing.
Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley (FMRRV) is a Christian-based organization inspired by Furniture Mission South Dakota and founded by Evert Van Engelenhoven and Darrell Costain, who remain active as board members and volunteers today. In Fargo, the organization is led by Executive Director Jordan McCormick and sustained by the generosity of a caring community. Many hands have shaped its growth — from the early days of storing furniture in private garages to operating out of a donated property and delivering pieces in a donated truck from Fix It Forward Ministry, which was retired in 2025.
Today, FMRRV is firmly rooted in a large North Fargo warehouse, providing space that can expand with demand. What began as a vision among faithful servants has evolved into an impactful organization serving thousands of local families and individuals each year—many of whom are starting over. Through donated furnishings, FMRRV ensures essential items are delivered with dignity, helping people start fresh in a place that feels like home.
Q&A
Meet Jordan McCormick
Executive Director
Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley
Q: At Furniture Mission, what is your goal, and whom do you serve?
A: Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley is a furniture bank—like a food bank, just with furniture. We serve local families in their hour of crisis or challenge with access to gently used furniture at no cost, supporting a successful transition to a new chapter. We have gone from serving 130 families in the first year to serving more than 800 families annually very quickly, which is humbling. Our ultimate goal is to reflect the need in the community, and that need has called us to grow as quickly as we possibly can.
Q: What do you wish people knew about FMRRV?
A: I wish people knew that FMRRV isn’t supported by any city, state, or federal dollars. Our work is completely funded with local gifts and grants, so monetary donations make it all work. They allow us to operate while we gift our furniture out at no cost. In 2025, it cost us roughly $300 to serve an average family with 18 pieces of furniture. Q: Can you tell us about the recent expansion and how it helps you serve? A: This is our second space, although this building has seen several updates over the past three years. Our most recent expansion grew us from 13,000 to 17,000 square feet, allowing us to have more room for inventory and serve more families. We're built for volume, so we're called to be as big as the need is in our community. Over the past five years, we've seen that need explode. In the last two years alone, we've served over 800 families and given more than 28,000 pieces of furniture. The expansion also allowed us to be more intentional with our shop space, which is run by volunteers. We can send furniture back to our repair shop and make pieces safer and more structurally sound. We've done everything from just twisting a few screws and making things sturdier to taking leaves from large tables and repurposing them. We can't use really large tables, so we create a lot of smaller, personal tables that people can use in studios and efficiencies. One thing that often gets overlooked when providing critical need items is that beauty is essential. We're not furnishing dream homes, but we think it's important to give pieces that people are excited about and proud of — this can be really powerful.
Left: Rick Roggensack, FMRRV Volunteer
Right: ERic Johnson, FMRRV Operations Coordinator
Q: How does your work impact our community?
A: While furniture access is the service we provide, we always highlight the several ways it ripples throughout our community. The families who receive the items get to have their spaces transformed as they navigate a new season of life. The over 40 agencies that send us those families get to have FMRRV as a resource, no longer needing to ask their staff to source furniture from classified ads or dedicate building space to storing the occasional donation of bulky items. Lastly, our community has a place that accepts mattresses, dressers, and other items that don’t always have a place to be donated – keeping them from ending up in the local landfill and putting them into the homes of local families getting back on their feet.
Q: What are the most rewarding and the most challenging aspects of your leadership role at FMRRV?
A: This role has been fulfilling in so many ways, but recently, it has been rewarding to see us grow into our new space and welcome Eric Johnson to our team as Operations Coordinator. To feel as though we were ready to say yes to each of those has been the result of years of development, and I’m incredibly proud to be at this point today. The most challenging piece continues to be having the willingness to step into the unknown for the sake of growing our mission. We have to trust that even when we don’t have all the answers, if we do the right things for the right reasons at the right time, it’s going to work.
Q: How do you feel FMRRV donations help rebuild lives?
A: When working with people who are in that rebuilding phase, we show up with a lot of grace. Sometimes the next chapter is lonely, especially for those recovering from addiction or re-entering society after incarceration. They're leaving behind networks of people whom they've built up over the years, which can be very lonely. They have a space that is void of most things, and some people haven't had the ability to make their own decisions. One of the more powerful things we do is give people the opportunity to choose their own items — it's a chance to express who they're trying to become in this next chapter. If we can help them find a couple of items they're really excited about, it's just another way we can make small deposits into people who we want to be an amazing part of our society.
Q: Right now, what type of donations are most needed or useful to your families?
A: Our most requested items are beds, which we typically struggle to keep in our inventory. Other items we need include lamps, bedding, dressers, and tables small enough for a studio or efficiency apartment. You can find the full list of items we accept—as well as those we cannot—on the website.
Q: Beyond furniture and monetary donations, how can we help?
A: We are always looking for additional volunteers to help us in our warehouse. We also need people to help our families pick out items, drive our trucks for pickup days, answer phones and manage schedules, and help serve as an advocate for our organization by sharing our story with their networks.
GATHER FOR GOOD: 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT FMRRV
Ready to show your support? Beyond donations and volunteer opportunities, FMRRV offers several ways for the community to share its gifts with those in need.
#1. CLEANUP WEEK Every year, FMRRV encourages our communities to 'Don’t wait… DONATE!' Instead of waiting until Cleanup Week, call to have your gently used furniture picked up. Drop-offs are also welcome at the warehouse from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Mon-Thurs. This year, Fargo's Cleanup Week is May 4–8 and May 11–15, based on recycling schedules. West Fargo's Cleanup Week is May 5–8, and Moorhead's Cleanup Week is April 27–May 16.
#2. FURNITURE FLIP This brand-new event kicks off in June, encouraging teams to select a piece of furniture to “flip.” All pieces will be judged in several categories and auctioned off to support FMRRV. More details to come later this spring!
#3. MUSICAL CHAIRS Now in its third year, FMRRV's Musical Chair tournament is gearing up for its biggest event yet. Competitors and spectators from local businesses are invited to be part of a fun musical chairs event, including a dessert social, a live DJ, and for the 2026 champion, an epic trophy handmade in FMRRV's repair shop. This year's event is scheduled for the first week of November, with ticket sales opening in September.
