Central Oakland always has a furniture problem at this time of year.

University students leaving for the summer abandon usable if defective desks, dressers, sofas and other household goods, either in their quarters or on the streets. The problem arises again in late summer, when landlords find abandoned items in apartments they need to re-rent.

Anticipating the problem, the Oakland Planning and Development Corp. staff decided to turn it into a recycling and fund-raising venture and initiated its first furniture collection effort last week and this week.

"All this stuff ends up in a landfill and doesn't need to," said David Blenck, executive director of the development group.

Laura Halula, a community organizer for the group, called the first furniture donation event a success, even though it turned into a furniture roundup.

"Only one person brought something, a sofa," she said.

To help the idea along, she and several staff members drove through Central and South Oakland collecting desks, tables, bookshelves and appliances, most of which were functional though missing small parts.

"Most of the things were great, with maybe a little something wrong, like one leg loose or a knob missing," she said .

"We found a really nice table; it had all four legs. We found a bookshelf in perfect condition, a couple of lamps, a nice TV table. We found another couch today and some wet-jet mops with the squirty thing still working. We found a lot of desks, storage bins, a vacuum cleaner and plastic garbage can."

Everything they collect will be stored in the basement of an apartment building the development group owns until late summer, when staff will haul it out, cleaned and repaired, and put it up for sale under a tent on its Atwood Street property.

The PNC Foundation granted the organization $10,000 to advertise, pay an intern, buy sandwich boards, pay for a moving truck and for cleaning and repairs. Advertising included door-knob signs and an item in the Penny Saver, Ms. Halula said.

"We might make $300, $400 on what we collect," she said. "But what we really hope is that a light bulb goes off in their heads to make them think, 'Wow, I didn't need to destroy that dresser to fit it in the Dumpster. I can donate it.' "