MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) - Furniture Amnesty Day is returning to City Park in Manhattan Friday. The annual furniture exchange is held at the end of July each year because it is a popular moving time for students.
Ryan Courtright, assistant chief with the Manhattan Fire Department, said it's a way to encourage people to donate their items, rather than throwing them away on the curb.
"A lot of times they will sit there for weeks and get rained on," Courtright said. "We got to go through our violation and notice process and try to get those items removed from the property. Instead, we're able to pick those items up and get them into the hands of people that can use them."
Furniture Amnesty Day was canceled last year due to the pandemic; however, the city saw its biggest event in 2019 with more than 750 donated items. This year, more than 400 items were scheduled for furniture pick up ahead of the event.
People can drop off donations from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Baker Field parking lot in City Park. Click here for a list of acceptable and not acceptable donations.
Sign-up will begin at 8:00 a.m. at City Park on Friday. People will be able to choose a time slot between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to pick out furniture. Time slots to pick furniture will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Any furniture left after 4 p.m. is open to the general public.
