Bassett Furniture employees get a dresser drawer off the delivery truck. (Victor Texcucano/Staff)

As Venceeta Hurd cleaned out an old dresser she explained her predicament. The older her four children had gotten, the more clothes they had. And the more clothes they had, the less space they had in their dressers.

So, the family started putting the children’s clothes in baskets because there wasn’t enough storage space in their house.

This problem was remedied Wednesday when Bassett Furniture in Tyler donated new furniture to the Hurd family.

Mrs. Hurd, 38, who works at UT Health Northeast, along with her husband and their four children no longer had to scrounge for space for the kids’ clothes.

They were going to have plenty of room. In addition, Vincent Hurd, 8, received a new bed frame to replace his old broken one.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mrs. Hurd said of her reaction when she learned about the donation. “I’m excited now, still can’t believe it, you know, somebody would just think about us and want to do something for us. I mean it’s a blessing.”

The donation was one of four Bassett Furniture made in conjunction with the grand re-opening of its Tyler store, which recently underwent renovation work.

The company’s donation to the four families totaled more than $10,000.

“What we’re doing today is out partnering with PATH,” Bassett Furniture store manager Lori Eberhart said. “We’re helping four families in all and this particular family their need was storage for their clothing for their children. And so in both the kids rooms we provided storage and we actually are even putting a little picture in there just to … (give it) a little brightness and everything.”

Ms. Eberhart said the primary need for the other three families was also storage for clothing.

All four of the families who received furniture were part of People Attempting To Help’s (PATH) Transitional Housing Program.

PATH Executive Director Greg Grubb said about 30 families are involved in that program which provides low-rent housing to people “in an effort to let them get on their feet and make some progress toward their goals.”

Some of those goals include going back to school, getting an education to obtain a better job and clearing up credit or legal issues, whatever it is that is holding them back from moving forward to self-sufficiency, Grubb said.

“We’re just really thrilled that companies like Bassett are making an investment into the community,” he said. “It’s great to work with folks like that.”

Jay Moore, Bassett Furniture’s advertising director, said the company started this donation program more than a year ago as it began opening or remodeling stores.

Moore said the company is known for design consultation and makeovers so he though it would be appropriate for the company to do that for families in the community in addition to its customers.

The company has made furniture donations to 12 charities in the past year, he said. He said it’s important for the company, which was started more than 100 years ago, to be a part of the communities in which it operates.

At the Hurd’s house, as the furniture was being delivered, Mrs. Hurd couldn’t express her gratitude enough saying she felt “excited and everything else.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”