Season of giving | Pickerington family among recipients of Big Sandy program to help the needy – The Columbus Dispatch

Families in need get free furniture from Big Sandy

Christmas came early this year for the Ewing family of Pickerington. It wasnt a sleigh, but a truck full of new furniture and appliances that pulled up to their home a few days before the holiday.

The family Masaaki and Alex Ewing, both 41, and their children Ajani, 14; Swazy, 9; Blaize, 6; and Aaliyah, 5 didnt have much in the way of old furniture that needed to be moved to make way for the new. The family had little more than a couple of chairs and a broken couch and had been sleeping on mattresses on their floor.

We would never be able to buy any of these things, said Masaaki Ewing, watching the movers bring in the goodies. We cant do much outside of keeping the lights on and the kids fed.

Santa Claus, in this case, was furniture retailer Big Sandy Superstore, which gave away a house full of furniture and appliances to 20 families in need in Kentucky, West Virginia and central and southern Ohio.

The two younger Ewing children have been diagnosed with autism, and Masaaki Ewing has stayed home to care for them since Blaize, who doesnt speak, was born, he said.

Alex Ewing works in a customer call center for a state agency, although she has recently been on health-related disability leave.

Weve been struggling just to pay bills, Masaaki Ewing said.

The children have been hard on what furniture the family had, Alex Ewing said.

We wondered what we were going to do, she said. The old couch that someone had given us had just broke.

The Ewings were nominated for the giveaway by Rhonda Howard, who had met the family as an independent care provider for the younger children through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.

I saw a TV commercial for Big Sandys House of Hope, Howard recalled. You get this spark of an idea: They could be the perfect family to be helped.

I was so thankful just for the thought and for being nominated, Alex Ewing said.

When she learned the family was chosen for the giveaway, I was in disbelief, in shock, she said.

Our older kids are so excited, too. Their friends would come over and be like, Wheres your furniture?

For Rhonda and Big Sandy to think about our family like this, this is a true holiday gift.

Howard, who is also a realtor, said she has also been soliciting other real-estate agents and contractors to help the family with basic home repairs and painting.

I think weve got a lot of people in the community willing to help them out, Howard said. I hope it doesnt end here with the furniture delivery.

This is the first year for the holiday giveaway, said Jacob Sizemore, a spokesman for Big Sandy.

Were an employee-owned company, and this is something that our employees and our company are grateful to be in a position to do, Sizemore said.

Big Sandy accepted nominations from the public for families to be helped through the program. More than 1,700 nominations were received in the tri-state area, Sizemore said.

Big Sandy officials narrowed the nominations, then independent committees made up of representatives from businesses and charitable organizations in each community made the final decision, he said.

Were helping people who are single parents trying to raise children, people whove lost everything in house fires, and people who are just plain down on their luck, Sizemore said.

Were grateful we can give them some help and maybe provide a little hope.

Most families received living room and dining room furniture, a washer and dryer, a bedroom set for the adults and a bed and mattress for every child. In a few cases such as the Ewings, the gift included kitchen appliances.

Even after the family learned theyd be getting new furniture, until the truck pulled up to their house, they didnt realize that the package also included a stove and a refrigerator to replace their old, failing kitchen appliances, Alex Ewing said.

She said: Thats the biggest bonus stocking-stuffer ever!

sstephens@dispatch.com

@stevestephens

Read more:
Season of giving | Pickerington family among recipients of Big Sandy program to help the needy - The Columbus Dispatch