Ahwatukee Foothills News: "Interior designer's nonprofit connects 'haves' and 'needs'"

1to1WiSh was featured in the Community section of the Ahwatukee Foothills News, in a piece on how the nonprofit got started and how it works today.

The idea goes back to 2009. Our founder has spent more than 35 years as an interior designer, specializing in kitchen and lighting remodels since 2007 — and on demolition day, she kept watching the same thing happen: cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, and other perfectly good items going straight into a dumpster, while somewhere nearby, a family could have used exactly what was being thrown away. That frustration became a simple idea: what if the people who had something to give could connect directly with the people who needed it?

1to1WiSh became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2021. The model is intentionally simple: someone posts a WiSh for something they need — furniture, appliances, clothing, a utility bill paid directly to the provider, or help like tutoring or minor repairs — and someone nearby who can help offers to grant it. A volunteer team reviews every submission before it goes public. There's no donation pool, no cash, loans, gift cards, or fundraising — it's one person, one gift, delivered directly.

The article also covers how the platform protects privacy: participants are identified by first name and last initial only, and postings can't include phone numbers or outside links. For needs the nonprofit can't match, the site also points people toward the 211 community referral service.

As the founder put it in the piece: "What do you have that someone near you needs?"