Swig furniture drive supports MFTA

Real Estate Weekly, Nov 26, 2008

Swig Equities is pleased to announce its participation in helping the non-profit organization, Materials for the Arts (MFTA), by donating gently-used furniture and other excess materials throughout their portfolio through a newly created furniture donation program, an ongoing program that is expected to provide additional furnishings in the coming weeks and months. The purpose of the program is to provide unwanted office essentials to support arts and education programs with limited budgets.

"It is our pleasure to help this organization expand their art and cultural programs through donated office furnishings from our buildings. Organizations such as MFTA have made our firm and others alike aware of the growing need to remain environmentally conscious of practical disposal alternatives," said Kent M. Swig, president of Swig Equities.

Given the tons of solid waste sent to landfills, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that businesses dispose of nearly three million tons of office furniture to landfills each year, which results in a total of $100 million in disposal costs.

"With a growing attention to environmental concerns, we have taken this initiative to collaborate with groups like MFTA to help benefit them and further their goals. These donations not only help many non-profit organizations in a difficult economic climate, but also have served to keep over 10,000 pounds of furniture in good working condition from ending up in landfills," said Andrew Flamm, vice president of project development at Swig Equities.

Swig Equities values the importance of maintaining a sustainable environment by reducing landfill growth and promoting reuse and waste reduction through their donated office furniture. With the many non-profit organizations making use of lightly-used office furniture and materials, both parties benefit with the donating company reducing carting costs and boasting tax benefits whereas the non-profit prospers with affiliate expansions to support its causes.

Swig Equities has partnered with Materials for the Arts, a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and has completed numerous furniture donations: to date over 230 office chairs, seven bookcases, five file cabinets, and ten platforms have been donated to several non-profit organizations.

"We are a 30-year old city program that collects donated materials from businesses and individuals, and makes them available for free to a wide spectrum of not-for-profit organizations involved in the arts. The donated chairs already have supported a variety of NYC public agencies (Juvenile Justice, Parks & Recreation), small arts groups and social and health community organizations," said Harriet Taub, director of Materials for the Arts.