Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore is seeking volunteers for their New Brighton and Minneapolis home improvement outlets now that the community is opening after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
March was the most successful month ever at ReStore (510 County Road D West in New Brighton and 2700 Minnehaha Ave. in Minneapolis). But now volunteer help is needed to help run the stores, take in donations, and assist shoppers.
Regular volunteers are needed for three to four shifts per month, which typically last three to four hours each.
More information on how to sign up: https://restore.tchabitat.org/blog/lend-a-hand-at-restore.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of ReStore,” said Jill Carmody, Restore Manager. “We are excited to expand our volunteer team. Consistent volunteers help our stores because they can dive deeper into the workings of our stores, become self-directed, and learn what our greatest needs are at the moment. It is incredibly helpful to have volunteers who can see what needs to be done on a busy day and get it done.”
ReStore volunteers say:
“It’s an opportunity to help others. I have an admiration for the humanitarian efforts of Habitat for Humanity,” said one.
“It’s fun and helps other people. It’s an opportunity to get out of the house,” said another.
ReStore outlets are reducing waste by encouraging people to donate used goods to the store; by recycling, encouraging people to buy used goods and keeping tons of building materials and home furnishings out of landfills; and by repurposing by encouraging Do It Yourself projects.
The two ReStore outlets have received 21,000 donations this fiscal year (ending June 30, 2021), a 35 percent increase over last year. Since 2015, the New Brighton store has had nearly 54,000 drop-off donations; the Minneapolis store has had 20,000 donations since opening in 2016.
More than 50,000 customers have shopped at the two outlets this fiscal year.
ReStore Home Improvement outlets are open to the public and sell new and like-new furniture, appliances and building materials at discounted prices. The inventory comes from donations from individuals (free truck pickup) and local businesses. The materials are sold to the public at discounted prices. Every dollar raised from sales goes into building homes and supporting local families to buy their first home.
About ReStore: restore.tchabitat.org
About Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity: Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity brings people together to create, preserve, and promote affordable homeownership and advance racial equity in housing. Since 1985, more than 1,500 families have partnered with Twin Cities Habitat to unlock the transformational power of homeownership. Twin Cities Habitat is one of the highest-regarded Habitat for Humanity affiliates nationwide. www.tchabitat.org.