By Demetrius Dillard
For the seven years that Fresh Start Pallet Products, LLC has been in existence, it has endeavored to live up to its motto of “Building Furniture, Rebuilding Lives.”
As Earth Day approaches, the Hartford-based nonprofit has announced it will welcome spring by offering a selection of sustainable outdoor furniture and accessories. Fresh Start has demonstrated its advocacy for environmental protection and efficiency through its deep-seated culture of recycling locally sourced wood.
The organization has garnered recognition for repurposing donated pallets from local businesses to build various home and outdoor appliances – from chairs, to tables and shelves, to gardening products and more. But perhaps most of the recognition has come as a result of the organization’s commitment to training and employing local community members.
As part of their life-rebuilding journey, individuals returning from prison, recovering drug addicts, those battling poverty and even Syrian refugees have been afforded the opportunity by Fresh Start to build high-quality furniture. As Fresh Start employees, volunteers and supporters build furniture, they are concurrently building a more promising future for themselves.
Founded in 2015 in the Asylum Hill section of Hartford, Fresh Start embarked on a mission to impact the lives of those who sought a chance for a new beginning. Not only does the nonprofit aim to champion environmental sustainability, but is a supplier of local employment opportunities.
After numerous community members were ticketed for loitering on the premises of Grace Lutheran Church on Woodland Street, a church member and a local carpenter explored solutions to the issue.
They circumambulated the church grounds and spotted a pile of wooden pallets across the street and agreed that the material could be used to make benches for civilians to sit themselves around the church property. Hence, the birth of Fresh Start.
“Though all employees join Fresh Start with their own past experiences and stories, they come together to learn new skills and start anew in a positive and healthy working environment,” says a recent statement released by the nonprofit.
“Employees are trained by professionals who volunteer their time to pass down their knowledge. These volunteers train employees in a wide variety of skills like carpentry, woodworking, engineering, CAD (computer-animated design) software and design to create hand-crafted furniture and other products.”
Rick Kremer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, is credited as the official founder of Fresh Start. He was able to garner the volunteers, resources, structures and partnerships needed to get things off the ground for the nonprofit.
Since its inception, Fresh Start has blossomed substantially, according to David Elovich, a board member on the organization’s sales and marketing committee. “I think the way it’s grown is through volunteers using business skills they had,” said Elovich, who has gladly volunteered with the organization for the past three years. “A lot of the growth has been with our volunteers who are on the board who have knowledge of different aspects. We’ve taken all of their different skills – including me in sales and marketing – to really advance the business and turn it from a typical startup nonprofit to an impressive business.”
Out of a strong desire to “give back to the community,” Elovich joined Fresh Start in 2019 in addition to his everyday occupation as a salesman with a paper mill company. He was intrigued with Fresh Start’s mission after reading about the nonprofit in an article.
“I wanted to give back to the community and I saw an article about this organization that takes old pallets and repurposes them for new furniture,” the 64-year-old said. “We train people out of the community to learn this woodworking craft so I thought, ‘Wow, what a wonderful organization.’ It lines up with my environmental focus on recycled paper, and they’re recycling wooden pallets and they’re helping people learn a new trade to advance themselves.
“So a lot of it would fit with my interests. My career interests, but also in the interests of helping people out in the community.”
Fresh Start has secured state and federal funding to implement a training program that teaches woodworking and construction skills, called Fresh Start Academy. Upon completion of the six-week program, participants are encouraged to apply for a job in a related field.
Among Fresh Start’s partners are Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. (NINA), the Town of Manchester, Wheeler Clinic, InterCommunity and Parkville Market. The establishment offers a variety of services, has six employees, 11 volunteers and one shop supervisor, Elovich accentuated.
“Our mission is pretty succinct in that we’re trying to help people get back on their feet,” Elovich said, adding that Fresh Start’s community-based contributions and business model has worked largely to its advantage and upward mobility.
“I think we’re over that hump of being a sustainable enterprise.”
