SARANAC LAKE – Rice Furniture, as a member of Furniture First National Buying Group, has announced two charitable donations are being made in honor of the cooperative’s 25th anniversary:

-$5,000 will be donated to the Red Cross designated for Midwest flood relief.

-$5,000 will be donated to American Cancer Society.

The donations were announced on April 6 at Furniture First’s Anniversary Gala, which took place in High Point, North Carolina, during the semi-annual furniture industry trade show. Retailers and manufacturers affiliated with Furniture First attended the event.

“Furniture First has 223 retail members. All together that’s more than 500 storefronts, in 47 states,” said Andrew Kauffman, CEO of Furniture First. “These are independent, family-owned businesses that are fixtures in their communities. Many of them are in areas impacted by this year’s floods. As a group, we can chip in and make a difference.”

In addition to the Red Cross donation, the group is giving to the American Cancer Society.

Besides it’s donations through Furniture First, Rice Furniture regularly donates to various civic, school and other local charities and causes.

Rice Furniture joined Furniture First in June 2008 Membership in the cooperative buying group helps them access better pricing on merchandise and services so that they can keep prices lower and compete with large big box chains. The strategy has helped the independents outlast many of the large chains they once considered a threat.