Furniture from soon-to-be-closed Anaheim hotel donated to those in need

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The Anabella Hotel in Anaheim donated its furniture to residents in need in a nearby community as its set to close in mid-August.

A group of men unloaded a moving truck full of dressers, beds and tables Tuesday. The furniture will be delivered to families in need.

"To be more comfortable, to have things, to be able to put my stuff away," said Crystal Hart, who will be one of the people receiving a donation.

Everything came from 47 rooms in the hotel. As the operator, the Wincome Group prepares to close the hotel to make way for a $200-million four-diamond resort. Councilman Stephen Faessel came up with the idea on what to do with the furniture.

His plan was to give it all to residents of his district in the Anna Drive community and to others who might need the items.

"As you see, we live in a low-income community and definitely this furniture is going to help a lot," community activist Yesenia Rojas said.

The Wincome Group has been in business in Anaheim for more than 25 years. It said choosing to donate the furniture rather than sell it was an easy decision.

"It's an honor because it's fundamentally getting back to the residents and enhancing homes where many of these children are that are with us today," said Paul Sanford with the Wincome Group.

Faessel said he hopes to see more of this, especially as the resort district continues to expand and develop in the area.

"We often think of Anaheim in terms of Disneyland and the resort district, but there's also these wonderful families here that needed a little bit of help," he said.