Grateful Gatherings began in 2013 when Donna and her family saw a 10-year-old named Ayisha on the local news talking about being homeless during the holidays. Donna connected with the family and delivered Christmas dinner and presents.
A few months later, Ayisha’s family was placed in a new apartment but had nothing to furnish their new home… nothing! Donna emailed 20 friends; within four days, Ayisha’s family had enough furniture and household items to set up their new home and new life.
Grateful Gatherings has turned into a vibrant, close-knit, and dedicated community of volunteers, donors, and corporate partners who help furnish homes of families transitioning out of homelessness or crisis, including single mothers, foster children, and military veterans.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the San Francisco Bay Area and our organization ID is #47-1169913. Thank you for your support.
Founder, Executive Director Grateful Gatherings
Donna is the Founder and Executive Director of Grateful Gatherings. She had a 20+ year television producing career before starting Grateful Gatherings. It included 2 Emmy nominations, national productions including “The Phil Donahue Show” and “The Joan Rivers Show” and developing new series for HGTV, History Channel and The Food Network.
In 2013, just before returning to television after having children, her heart was pierced when she met a family of 5 moving into their first place after 21/2 years on the street. She witnessed them move in with nothing but bags of clothes and an air mattress. She believed they deserved a real second chance, they deserved a real home. And she believed others in the community would feel the same.
So, she created GRATEFUL GATHERINGS, an organization designed to help families in transition with basic home needs such as beds, furniture, kitchen needs – in order to support the safety, comfort and success of the whole family. It is a simple model that connects those that have a little extra with those who could use some help from a friend.
Using her many years of volunteer and compassion experience, she rallied community members to come together to help their neighbors in need. Using years of management experience, she has directed its growth from helping 9 families in 2013 to over 100 in 2023. There are now 8 chapters in the Bay Area, over 4000 volunteers and donors as well as over 50 agency partners who depend on Grateful Gatherings to fulfill the dreams of their clients – a place to heal, a place to grow, a place to call home.
Creating real homes for those who have lost or never had a home is a heart mission for Donna. She believes it is why she is here and is grateful every day she gets to do what she does.
Director of Programs & Co-Founder
Christine is the Director of Programs and Co-Founder of Grateful Gatherings, transitioning to the nonprofit sector after a successful 15-year career as a television producer. She produced top-rated shows for major networks like MSNBC, FOX, and HGTV, showcasing her keen eye for designing homes and talent for engaging diverse groups. This experience has proven invaluable in her role at Grateful Gatherings, where she has successfully expanded the organization’s reach and impact since its inception in 2013.
Christine began her nonprofit career at Shelter, Inc., in Concord, CA, as an event coordinator and media relations specialist. There, she realized that a roof over one’s head alone does not make a home; beds, furnishings, and household items are critical to helping families thrive. Under Christine’s leadership, Grateful Gatherings has launched eight chapters throughout the Bay Area. Her passionate and collaborative leadership style has fostered strong partnerships with other nonprofits, schools, charity groups, churches, and businesses, that provide critical volunteer and financial support. Christine’s unique background in media and production has enhanced the organization’s engagement efforts, attracting new supporters and resources. Outside of her role at Grateful Gatherings, Christine lives in Moraga, CA, with her husband and two children. Grateful Gatherings is more than a profession for her; it is a life mission dedicated to providing furnished homes to those in need.
Director of Finance
Sally is an experienced finance professional. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Economics and got her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Sally spent several years with Drexel Burnham, an investment banking firm, both as an Analyst in the Corporate Finance dept in NYC and an Associate with the Workout Group in San Francisco. Sally later worked in Project Finance for alternative energy developers, National Power Company and Calpine Corporation, then with an independent joint venture between PG&E and Bechtel Corporation and she led the strategic finance dept at PG&E Energy Services. She worked as a consultant with a dot-com start-up, Ekids Internet, securing early round venture capital funding.
Sally also has extensive non-profit financial management, event planning and fundraising experience. She has served as Treasurer for Duck’s Nest Preschool parent association, Hillcrest School parents association, Rockridge Vista Neighborhood Association, Rockridge Community Planning Council, East Bay Agency for Children Auxiliary and Friends of the Rockridge Greenbelt (Frogpark). She helped all of those organizations raise funds, running events including auctions, galas, walk-a-thons, art shows and corporate sponsorship drives. Sally was the director of finance for Rebuilding Together Oakland and later served as a board member. She is currently the director of finance for Grateful Gatherings.
Warehouse Manager
Program Coordinator
With a lifelong dedication to volunteerism, Kelly Matoso has passionately served children with special needs, inspired by her youngest son. Now, as the Programs Coordinator at Grateful Gatherings, Kelly continues to make a meaningful impact by facilitating the Mini-Gathering Program. This initiative provides essential furniture, beds, and household items to create homes with dignity for those transitioning from crisis. Kelly’s commitment to helping others and belief in the transformative power of a safe, welcoming home drives her work every day at Grateful Gatherings.
Grants Manager
After a productive career creating and later marketing products for global outdoor recreation brands, I shifted my creativity to a different medium: service proposals for low-income families and individuals. My tenure at SHELTER Inc., the largest homelessness agency in Contra Costa County, included several large awarded proposals during which time the agency was able to expand to another county. I chose Grateful Gatherings because we all need a helping hand at some point in our lives, especially in a costly state such as California. Our families do not just get a haphazard collection of hand-me-downs, they get a customized set of furniture and home essentials from which they can start a comfortable life with the items they need to get a good night’s sleep, a dedicated space to finish school work, and tables, chairs, and sofas where they can gather and just be a family.
Grateful Gatherings’ mission is to transform lives by providing new and gently used furniture and household goods to low-income families and individuals, foster youth, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and others transitioning out of homelessness, crisis, and/or poverty.
We accept gently used and new items that help turn empty apartments into real homes.
Your support helps transform empty apartments into fully furnished homes, in just one day.
Previous Reports
We gratefully accept quality, gently used furniture and household goods. To ensure we provide dignified living spaces:
Items must be free of stains, rips, tears, and pet hair
Furniture should be in good, functional condition
Household goods should be clean and in working order
We accept donations on specific Gathering days:
Check our calendar page for upcoming Gathering dates and lists of specific needs.
We have a small storage facility to accept furniture donations coordinated with our warehouse staff. Please see the calendar page for specific drop-off times and days.
We offer limited pick-up services:
Pick-ups are available only for large furniture items only
To arrange a pick-up, please contact us in advance
We're happy to provide donation receipts.
For furniture pick-ups, we can email a receipt afterward
Receipts are important for tax purposes - thank you for keeping track!
Your donations make a direct impact:
We distribute items to local families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness and poverty.
Each year, we serve hundreds of local households in need of basic home necessities.
Your generosity helps turn empty houses into warm, welcoming homes and changes lives immediately.
While we appreciate all offers, we sometimes have to decline:
We focus on providing quality, essential items to maintain dignity for recipients.
We can't accept items that are stained, ripped, torn, or have pet hair. We also do not accept any mattresses, bed frames, linens, or large appliances. We also cannot accommodate exceptionally large furniture pieces because the homes we serve are typically small.
If an item isn't on our accepted donations list, we unfortunately can't take it.
We appreciate your generosity! Here are some alternative donation options:
We rely on community support in various ways:
Financial gifts: Help us cover operational costs and purchase essential items
Quality donations: Gently used furniture and household goods are always needed
Volunteers: Join us in collecting, delivering, and setting up homes
Volunteer Leaders: We offer opportunities to volunteer regularly at our gatherings and in our warehouse. Please contact us if you are interested!
Ready to make a difference? Get involved today!
Stay connected with us:
Subscribe to our newsletter
Follow us on social media
Check our website regularly for calendar updates
Absolutely! We love our volunteers:
Help with furniture delivery and home setups
Assist in organizing Gathering days
Contribute professional skills (e.g., marketing, event planning)
Run bedding, kitchen, and cleaning supply drives.
Volunteer with our fundraising team.
Learn more about volunteering
Make a Difference: Join Grateful Gatherings’ Team in Transforming Lives and Furnishing Homes!
