Our Story
Catherine puts finishing touches on patio
Ithaca social worker, Catherine Martinez, founded Love Knows No Bounds (LKNB) in the summer of 2006 as a response to Hurricane Katrina. We delivered materials & aid to New Orleans that December. We wanted to show low-income areas of New Orleans that we had not forgotten them. We were particularly drawn to the situation in the 7th Ward of New Orleans. We met Pastor Bruce Davenport of St. John #5 Faith Church, a small church and social service center in the 7th Ward. Pastor Bruce showed LKNB volunteers the heartbreaking ruins of his community. He taught us about the legacy of economic disadvantage and institutional neglect.
Pastor Bruce Davenport of St. John #5 Faith Church
He inspired us with his vision of a 7th Ward that could come back even stronger than it was before Katrina. In Pastor Bruce we found a partner. We helped the St. John #5 Faith Church transform their community one house at a time. From that vision, a Sister City relationship was born between Ithaca, New York and the 7th Ward of New Orleans Louisiana. Today, the Katrina Relief Project at Lehman Alternative School continues that work each spring.
In 2011, we fielded teams of carpenters and volunteers in Owego, New York after 80% of the town was flooded by Tropical Storm Lee.
In 2012, our volunteer teams from several schools helped residents of Brooklyn & Staten Island dig out from flooding after Hurricane Sandy. We also lent a hand in the recovery process in Rockaway and delivered a truckload of donated holiday gifts to middle and high school students in the area.
In 2014, we began working with Sonja Ayiti in Limonade to help them address the needs of internally displaced Haitians after the devastation of the 2010 earthquakes. We continue our collaboration with Sonje Ayiti and currently are helping them bring educational materials and technology to a rural school in Haiti.
In 2011, we fielded teams of carpenters and volunteers in Owego, New York after 80% of the town was flooded by Tropical Storm Lee.
In 2012, our volunteer teams from several schools helped residents of Brooklyn & Staten Island dig out from flooding after Hurricane Sandy. We also lent a hand in the recovery process in Rockaway and delivered a truckload of donated holiday gifts to middle and high school students in the area.
In 2014, we began working with Sonja Ayiti in Limonade to help them address the needs of internally displaced Haitians after the devastation of the 2010 earthquakes. We continue our collaboration with Sonje Ayiti and currently are helping them bring educational materials and technology to a rural school in Haiti.
It is during a work with Sonja Ayiti In Haiti that we learned of the principal of koud-a-koud, or working shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors in the spirit of common struggle, rather than charity. Inspired by that spirit, in 2015, we launched the Neighbor to Neighbor initiative to address the issue of substandard housing in our communities. We focused our furniture redistribution program on residents in Tompkins County, and this is what Neighbor 2 Neighbor continues to do today.
Throughout it all, the best parts of our work have been the human connections we have had and our impacts on others, both volunteers and clients. Working with LKNB, now N2N, you learn that, no matter who you are or your skill level, you can contribute to something good in the world, and that is life-changing.
Throughout it all, the best parts of our work have been the human connections we have had and our impacts on others, both volunteers and clients. Working with LKNB, now N2N, you learn that, no matter who you are or your skill level, you can contribute to something good in the world, and that is life-changing.
The Neighbor 2 Neighbor Home Repair program helps local families complete much needed repairs and home improvement projects including roofing jobs, wheelchair ramps and replacing water damaged drywall.
Our Services
Furniture Redistribution
Our furniture redistribution program is literally a neighbor to neighbor exchange. We pick up donated gently-used furniture from one neighbor who doesn't need it any longer, and deliver it to another who needs it, all around the Tompkins County area. Learn More!
- Donating Furniture. Please see our "Donate" page
- Receiving Furniture: If you live in Tompkins County and are in need of beds, dressers, dining sets, living room chairs, couches, and/or tables, we may be able to help. You are eligible for this program if you are receiving from one of the partner organizations listed below, or if you or someone in your family attends a Tompkins County school, community center, house of worship, or another certified social service organization located in Tompkins County.
Receiving Furniture
Please see below for our timing. We know waiting can be frustrating, so we are working on ways to improve our delivery rates.
Timing
Our redistribution runs are typically done once a week on an ad hoc basis depending on when volunteers are available. Generally, we serve people in order of requests. The more volunteers we have, the more work we can do!
Partner Organizations
We currently accept referrals from these community partners, but will consider other referrals on a case-by-case basis:
- 211 Tompkins Cortland
- The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County
- Catholic Charities of Tompkins County
- Child Development Council
- Community Health Outreach Program (CHOP)
- Family and Children's Service of Ithaca
- Franziska Racker Centers in Ithaca
- Ithaca Housing Authority
- The Learning Web
- OAR (Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources)
- Office of the Aging
- The Rescue Mission
- Tompkins Community Action
- Tompkins County Department of Social Services
- Tompkins County Mental Health Center and Affiliated Programs
Home Repair Projects
**This service is currently on hold due to COVID.**
Who is Eligible?
Currently, we have a Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide home repairs for residents of the City of Ithaca. To be eligible, one must:
Who is Eligible?
Currently, we have a Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide home repairs for residents of the City of Ithaca. To be eligible, one must:
- Own the home. Residents of mobile homes ARE eligible even if they don’t own the land their home is on.
- Have an annual income that is less than or equal to 60% of median income for residents of the City of Ithaca, or $45,360 for a family of 4.
- Live in the City of Ithaca.
Special Projects
**This service is currently on hold due to COVID.**
We started as a disaster relief organization providing home repair, furniture and respite help for communities in need. We continue to do special projects both near and far from one-day team volunteer events to longer-term community-projects. If you'd like to learn more about our current projects or propose a new one, please contact our us at Director@n2ntompkins.org
We started as a disaster relief organization providing home repair, furniture and respite help for communities in need. We continue to do special projects both near and far from one-day team volunteer events to longer-term community-projects. If you'd like to learn more about our current projects or propose a new one, please contact our us at Director@n2ntompkins.org