Spring Projects on Your Radar?

Author: Whitney Hollingshead

Spring is upon us and it’s time to start tackling some spring cleaning projects! Do you have a lot of junk in your garage or home? Are you planning to remodel, redecorate, or redo a room in your house this spring or summer? Do you have a lot of home related items not is use that are taking up a lot of your space? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the junk you need to get rid of just might be the perfect solution for someone in need.

Did you know that Habitat for Humanity has a ReStore? These stores are like the Salvation Army for building materials and home related items. The ReStore accepts donations and sells the items at a reduced cost to the public. All proceeds go toward building Habitat for Humanity homes for families in the area who need safe and affordable housing.

Johnny McCoy of Knotty Alder Cabinets has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for years and filled me in on how this organization is helping the community. Here are some other things you may not know about Habitat for Humanity:

Habitat for Humanity has franchises. Each city or county may have their own branch so they can focus exclusively on local projects.

75% of the homes built by Habitat for Humanity house children.

Most branches will build 5 or 6 brand new homes every year.

So now that you know that you can donate some of your stuff to this great organization, it’s important to take a look at what kind of items you can donate. Here are the items that you can donate to the ReStore:

• Furniture
• Appliances
• Doors & windows
• Unused flooring
• Toilets
• Sinks
• Light fixtures
• Hardware
• Cabinets
• Countertops
• Paint
• Bricks & stone
• Lumber
• Large tools (saws, pruners, tillers, ladders, sanders, power drills, etc.)

The ReStore does NOT accept the following items. You will need to box these items up and take them to a goodwill store instead:

• Dishes, kitchen utensils, etc.
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Baby supplies
• Toys
• Used mattresses
• Used carpet
• Items that offer no redeeming value to anyone

You can do a quick Google search to find the ReStore location nearest you. Make sure you contact your local ReStore to find out when they are open to accept donations, as you cannot leave donations when the store is closed. You can also contact the store to schedule a donation pickup if you are not able to transport the items to the store yourself.

If you do drop off your donation, you may want to take some time to check out what’s available inside the store. At this point you may be questioning my judgment. Didn’t I just encourage you to get rid of stuff? Yes I did, so don’t fall into the trap of accumulating more things you don’t need! Instead take the chance to look around the store to see if there is something inside that will be a perfect fit for your upcoming spring or summer projects.

Now here comes another fun fact about the ReStore you probably haven’t heard. Most ReStore locations also have a tool library. The tool library is like a book library, but with home and yard tools. While a few rules do apply, the library lends out these tools for free. If you need help getting your yard, home, or even re-purposing projects completed this spring or summer, you should definitely check out the tool library at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Whether you are cleaning out, organizing, re-purposing, or planning a home improvement project in the near future, be sure to check out the great resources available at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

About the author:

Whitney Hollingshead is an optimist, a dreamer, and a professional writer.  She loves learning and sharing tips, tricks, and fun facts with others.  In her spare time she thrives on coming up with fun and creative solutions for everyday opportunities, especially when the solutions enable her to spend more time with family and friends.