Studio City brothers fix unwanted items to donate to people in need

STUDIO CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- When a pair of Studio City brothers saw their community service hours crimped by the pandemic, they turned to trash to keep the giving going.

Ben and Sam Volokh had been volunteering at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, but when COVID safety restrictions ended that, they began collecting furniture and other items people were throwing out. They cleaned and fixed them, then donated them to Habitat.

"We make a ton of pickups every week," said Ben, 17. "We refurbish, repurpose, we keep them in our garage."

Ben and Sam, 15, started their endeavor in November and even created a website where people can schedule a pickup. But most of the time they scour neighborhoods and online sites like Nextdoor and Craigslist.

"All this furniture wasn't in perfect condition, but definitely could have gone to good use," Sam told Eyewitness News. "We just think it's really important to give back to our community and do what we can to make life easier for some people."

The two Harvard Westlake students have a lot to juggle. Both have full high school class schedules and daily volleyball practice. Ben recently earned Eagle Scout status.

"We decided that would still be a great way to still donate to a cause we really cared about," said Ben. "Just taking this furniture that was out there, just sitting there, and donating it to Habitat where it could go out to people less fortunate than we are."