Tony and Lauren Dungy, who have fostered children for more than 40 years, are putting their name behind an Oldsmar nonprofit that has quietly furnished thousands of homes across Tampa Bay. The couple have partnered with New Life Warehouse for an upcoming fundraiser, lending their platform to an organization built around a surprisingly practical problem: families in crisis who have housing but no beds, couches, or dressers to go with it.
The partnership, first reported by WFLA, centers on a group based off Roberts Road in Oldsmar that was founded and is directed by Stephanie Haile. Before starting the organization, Haile worked with an organization serving foster-care families, where she recognized that furniture could affect whether a child was placed in a foster care home or an unhoused person returned to the street, according to the station's report. That realization shaped the nonprofit's entire mission, which Haile has described as an effort to break the cycle of homelessness.
A Crib Delivered Overnight
For the Dungys, the connection became personal years ago, long before any fundraiser was planned. Lauren Dungy recalled receiving a foster placement in the middle of the night and needing a crib immediately, per the station's account; New Life Warehouse provided one after the family called the next morning. Tony Dungy said a quickly obtained crib can help a foster child feel comfortable, a detail that speaks to the stakes behind what might otherwise sound like a simple furniture delivery.
New Life Warehouse opened around the pandemic and has grown into a volunteer-driven operation that partners with major organizations across Tampa Bay. The nonprofit does not accept individuals applying on their own; per its own guidelines, a social worker from a verified partner agency must submit the referral, and the family must be living in a residence or be within five days of moving in, according to New Life Warehouse. The organization works with local social service agencies to coordinate referrals.
Volunteers Sort and Deliver the Donations
Day to day, the organization leans almost entirely on volunteers, who collect donated furniture on weekday pick-up routes, repair and sort it, and take part in twice-monthly staging sessions to build custom furniture packages ahead of weekend deliveries, the nonprofit's own site notes. Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Thursday at the Roberts Road warehouse. The donated items are cleaned, refurbished, and delivered directly to families in need, per WFLA's reporting.
The scale of that work has added up. New Life Warehouse has furnished more than 5,000 homes in five years, the station reports. Last month alone, the organization served more than 100 families, per WFLA.
Why Furniture Can Decide a Foster Placement
Why Furniture Can Decide a Foster Placement Prospective foster parents complete a licensing study, according to AdoptUSKids. Missing essential furniture can prevent willing family members from accepting children. Hillsborough County's foster system has faced its share of upheaval in recent years, including Children’s Network taking over the system on July 1, 2022, after the state ended Eckerd Connects’ contracts by July 2022, amid reports of overwhelmed caseworkers, as Hoodline has previously reported.
The nonprofit's finances reflect a lean, donation-reliant model. Most of the organization is staffed by volunteers, and 93% of incoming money goes directly to families to purchase items that were not donated, per WFLA. New Life Warehouse began serving families in 2020. The Tampa Bay Lightning named Haile a Lightning Community Hero, awarding a $50,000 grant toward two enclosed delivery trailers and furniture for roughly 42 homes — the 592nd such honor in the program's history.
Bucs Suite Up for Raffle Ahead of November Fundraiser
To help cover what the station describes as most of the organization's annual operating costs, the Dungys are raffling and selling tickets for four people to attend a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game with them in a private suite, which Tony Dungy said the team offered to host. Proceeds from the event support New Life Warehouse. The Home for the Holidays fundraiser is set for Friday, November 6, and the organization is also seeking volunteers to help with its ongoing work.
The Dungys' own four-decade history of fostering children underpins why the couple's name carries weight for a nonprofit built on filling empty rooms with beds families can actually use.
