Habitat for Humanity ReStore Provides the Tools to Rebuild the City
The challenges facing Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity are the same as those affecting the entire nonprofit sector. The current global economic situation impacts our bottom line just like our constituents, and community partners. Habitat’s new ReStore, however, will be a major factor in the organization’s ongoing success.
Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore sells rescued, recycled and donated building materials, tools and household items at a fraction of standard retail costs, with proceeds supporting Habitat’s operations. Providing affordable construction materials and tools so that the community can repair, renovate and rehab deteriorating housing stock supports our mission to “eliminate poverty housing” while keeping tons of materials out of local landfills.
In addition to being one of the largest low-income housing providers in the world, Habitat for Humanity is one of Cleveland’s premier green builders, producing highly efficient Energy Star rated homes that could easily be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified, based on our own meticulous standards of care and commitment to zero waste. Habitat’s lawns are organic, landscaping has only indigenous species and we will be introducing rain barrels to harvest rain water this year.
Habitat’s ReStore is seeking donations of new or used bath and kitchen cabinets, windows, doors, light fixtures, lumber, tile, tools, furniture, garden supplies and more. Donations are tax deductible.
With help from the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District and others, Habitat has leased a 60,000 square foot, fully racked, professional materials handling facility. This facility is designed to be the cornerstone of a community-wide effort to promote recycling, deconstruction, salvage, rescue, and reuse of viable materials, which can be sold back to the community for 25 to 30 cents on a dollar.
Since materials are rescued and recycled from local sources, the carbon reduction is significant, not only because new material is not unnecessarily manufactured from scarce natural resources, but goods are also not shipped overseas and then trucked across the country using precious fossil fuels. This triple bottom line model will make it possible to rebuild the central city using materials that are typically buried in landfills.
A corporation, organization or business who cannot provide funding in the current economic climate, can engage their constituents in massive tool drives, just like canned food drives. Tool drives will encourage people to buy whatever they can afford to put into the collection container and clean out their basements and garages, in order to put unused tools back to work. Companies can reduce inventory, empty their storage lockers and warehouses in support of Habitat’s mission without having to transfer cash during austere times. Individuals can conduct tool drives with friends, at work, school or the corner store. The stuff that sits forever in grandma’s basement, under dad’s workbench, at the back of the garage, or taking up space in a church locker or company warehouse—these are the tools that Habitat needs to repair our central city.
By returning these tools and building material to proper use, we can help a young individual with skills, but no resources, to repair a bathroom in Slavic Village, help a single mom fix a broken window in Glenville or an unemployed pipefitter in Lakewood make a garden to grow his family’s dinner.
We are already building and rehabbing in the city’s targeted areas of need and are providing energy, hope and suburban volunteerism to model block programs throughout the city. For many, ReStore may be the answer to “how can I help during these troubled times?”
ReStore is located at 2110 W. 110th St. (South of Berea Road) and is open to the public Fridays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Donation drop-offs are accepted Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. or call 216-429-3631, ext. 238 to schedule a pick up. For more information or to learn more about how you can conduct a tool drive, visit www.clevelandrestore.org.