Rockaway Resource Helps Declutter Homes and Give to Families in Need

By Kami-Leigh Agard

The holidays oftentimes tells the tale of two cities—the haves and have-nots. However, Katherine “Kate” Mullane, through her home organization company, Rockaway Resource, has been working hard all season to change that narrative, in which both sides can benefit from her services. The haves trim down their closets, basements and garages filled with quality no-longer used or unused items and pay it forward to families in need.

Mullane is a Rockaway native. She grew up in Belle Harbor, but then moved away for 25 years, where she had several adventures, including running her own event planning company in Sag Harbor, Long Island and Islamorada, a cluster of small islands, located in the Florida Keys. Eighteen months ago, she returned to the peninsula, and since this past May, launched home organization company, Rockaway Resource.

“My event planning company had several names. In Sag Harbor, it was Fait Accompli Event Planning. Fait accompli is a French term for ‘it’s done.’ We started as an event planning business, and then morphed into home organizing during the off season with clients,” she said.

When asked what was the impetus that led her from event planning to home organizing, Mullane said, “Funnily enough, I used to be a tremendous shopper, and my cleaning lady helped me downsize my things. Basically, she started going through my closets with me to get organized, and then I realized that other people need that help. So, when organizing, we would create three piles: donate, keep and yard sale.

“I found home organizing more fulfilling. I had a flawless reputation for my events in the Hamptons, but it was a lot of work and I had to have an assistant working with me. So, with home organizing I could do it myself. Parties were fun to throw, but I’m older now. I still do event planning if clients need me, but I really enjoy home organizing, especially with how we can pay it forward to those in need. For example, the massive collection of beautiful winter coats Rockaway Resource was able to collect from our clients and the community to donate to The B.R.I.D.G.E. Family Enrichment Center. It was so gratifying,” Mullane said.

With the coat drive, Mullane drummed up the idea to designate drop-offs for coats at Callie’s on Beach 129th and The Rose Den on Beach 116th. The response was overwhelming. “When I moved back to Rockaway, a lot of people gave me winter coats and clothes because I was living in a summer climate for 10 years. So, I thought it’d be nice to give back. By the end of the drive, we collected six huge bags of coats. I reached out to a local, Evelyn Rivera Ortiz of Locals Helping Locals, as I knew she was hosting a coat drive. Evelyn shared that The B.R.I.D.G.E. would be a great place to drop the coats off for people in need,” she said.

When asked why she saw a need for Rockaway Resource in Rockaway, Mullane answered, “I lived in the Florida Keys, and people would leave no-longer needed clothes and furniture outside for others to pick up. We didn’t have a lot of stores, much less a mall. So, people did a lot of giving back to each other, and I really liked how that worked with recycling. However, when I came back to Rockaway, I saw people throwing out all kinds of things and not donating. So, I thought it would be a nice idea if I could help residents organize their homes, while also connecting with charities to donate items to those in need.

“For example, I’ve been steadily helping my clients with getting their donations picked up St. Mary Star of the Sea Church and First Congregational Church of Rockaway Beach. When I’m on a job and the client wants to throw things out, I would ask permission to instead donate the items. So, it’s about recycling, instead of throwing items out and filling landfills. Throwing out good furniture, clothing and toys is such a waste. I understand people are busy, but eventually all these landfills will be filled if we don’t start paying attention,” Mullane said.

As for her process when working with clients, she shared, “Basically, the client sends me photos of what they want organized. For example, a bedroom, closet, garage, whatever. After reviewing, I give an estimate, and we go from there. I recently started asking for a deposit because in theory, though people do want to downsize, when it comes to actually doing it, they become reluctant. So, requiring deposits makes them more committed to sticking to the plan. Downsizing is not comfortable. Many people hold on to things and getting rid of them is difficult. Less is more, but when you declutter your home, you declutter your brain. How many pairs of black pants or shoes do you need? Everyone keeps buying the same thing over and over, which is fine, but just get rid of some of the old ones,” she said.

As for those favorite pair of jeans you wore when you were in your early twenties, Mullane advised to let it go. “We always think that we’ll get back into them. In reality, probably not. They’ve seen their day,” she said.

Also, Mullane frowns upon storage units or storing unused items in a basement or garage. “These things just end up collecting dust and taking up better-utilized space. It’s about quality, not quantity. Plus, I give clients ideas on how to organize their items seasonally. When the spring comes, it’s kind of exciting to put all your winter stuff away,” she said.

According to National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), 80% of the items we keep are never used. Paying to store unused objects contributes monthly to a $154 billion dollar industry. Money that could be contributing to a charity.

When asked about changes she’s seen in Rockaway since returning after 25 years, Mullane noted both the increased development, yet the numbers of homeless people.

She said, “Rockaway has come a long way in terms of development, but on Beach 116th Street, I was very surprised to see so many homeless people. It wasn’t like that when I was growing up here. It’s changed dramatically. I’m hoping a positive change will come.”

Mullane promotes Rockaway Resource primarily through Facebook and is aiming to get a website up in 2025.

If a charity is interested in donations, Mullane said that unfortunately she does not have a physical space for walk-ins but they can contact her. “Ideally, I’d love to have a brick-and-mortar, connecting the people that need with the people that throw out,” she said.

For the Rockaway native, it feels good to be home. “I’m very happy with how life panned out. It’s a nice feeling at my age to come back to the community I grew up in, help others and be a local again,” she said.

For more information about Kate Mullane’s Rockaway Resource, visit: Rockaway Resource on Facebook or email: rockawayresource@gmail.com