Building Community Blog

“We got enough to paint the inside of six average houses,” Don tells me.

It’s a clear April morning and I’m riding along with Don Gustafson, the ReStore Donations Receiving Assistant, as he makes his rounds. We’ve just picked up several pallets of paint at a local Sherwin Williams retail store.

Next, we’re headed to a Warners’ Stellian warehouse to load up a downdraft unit (used to ventilate stoves that are built into kitchen islands).  Of course, many of ReStore’s donations come from average folks looking to clear some space in their garage. Among this year’s more unusual donations are an antique, ornate copper birdcage for a very large bird, a number of lawnmowers (donated in November) and snow blowers (donated in April). 

Gather your whole family to make these simple, inexpensive summer projects. Start by shopping together for materials, then plan time to measure, cut, drill, assemble the project and paint. Select a family photographer to document the project.

Potting Bench A potting bench is practical and convenient for any kind of hand gardening. Create potted arrangements for your patio or deck, transfer seedlings to larger containers or divide overgrown indoor plants.

Make a potting bench with a door—solid or with windows—attached to a table made of scrap lumber, the top of which should be at counter height. Add a shelf or two to the door and hooks to sides of the table for hand tools. Scale down the bench for little gardeners. ReStore doors start at $5, scrap lumber $1.

ReStore is pleased to announce that Professional Performance Exterior Painthas arrived just in time for the outdoor painting season. This quality product, created especially for Habitat for Humanity, is the newest addition to the Professional Performance line that includes interior paint.

The exterior paint, which is available in white, is formulated for aluminum and vinyl siding, as well as wood, stucco, primed metal, cement block and most other surfaces.  It is suitable for brush, roller or spray application.

Drop off you old computers, bulky TVs, broken cellphones and other electronics for free recycling during ReStore’s Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The ReStore will earn 1 to 12 cents per pound from your donations—money that will help fund more Habitat projects.

“We’re filling a need,” said Michael Urness, ReStore manager. “There are no other recycling sites in Ramsey County that accept as many electronics as we will and are also free to the public. And at this point, Ramsey County itself does not operate a free e-cycling program for residents like some other metro counties do.”

The Like button on a Facebook page and its “thumbs-up” symbol may mean yes, I agree, or I’m interested, I support you, tell me more. Last October, the ReStore page had 115 Likes. Now the page has 365 fans, a modest increase that means that 250 more people may become ReStore customers.

Likes can grow more Likes. Facebook administrators tell us that ReStore’s 365 fans together have about 1,000 friends on Facebook who also are interested in home improvement. Wow—if every ReStore fan told their friends to Like ReStore’s page . . .

ReStore shelves are stacked high with quantities of ceramic tile, paint, electrical hardware and fiberboard this month. Plus our new Professional Performance white paint is in at $12 per gallon and $50 for a five gallon! Fill your shopping cart now with materialsfor a winter home improvement project and take advantage of prices discounted 50% to 90%.

Recyling requires a good imagination. Consider the cheerful kitchen island in the photo. It may have started out in the ReStore as two beat-up dressers. The finish on the dressers may have been scratched, stained or worn away. Some dressers donated to the ReStore have missing drawer pulls, broken drawer slides or wobbly legs.

You never know what treasures you’ll find at the ReStore. It’s a store unlike most others.

The ReStore constantly changes. Every day, all day, new and gently-used building materials donated by individuals, retailers, contractors and manufacturers arrive. Here are some shopping tips to get the most out of your trip to the ReStore.

December 31st is a red letter day. That’s the last day in 2011 to donate goods to the Habitat ReStore and earn a tax deduction. Every donation-- tools, building materials, lighting fixtures or a whirlpool tub, for example—earns the donor an income tax deduction for a donation to a charitable organization.

  At 9 a.m. sharp on a Saturday, an eager crew of high school students from Trinity School at Rivers Edge, Eagan, arrived at the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore to volunteer for a half day. All 16 students quickly pulled on work gloves, donned safety glasses and pitched in on the day’s project: breaking down old, unsellable upholstered furniture for disposal.

Later that morning, the 16- and 17-year-olds from Trinity’s junior class measured and priced rolls of vinyl flooring and organized a product display.

“The kids were eager workers and had a good time,” said Michael Urness, ReStore manager. “The ReStore is a great place for teens to gain volunteer experience because there are fewer restrictions on their activities here than at the construction sites. Our staff is small, so we rely on energetic volunteers like these students.”

Peg Louiselle, Sr. Director of Advancement at Trinity, explained, “We’re in the fourth year of doing service projects, and even though participation is optional, we’re getting over 90 percent of our students to sign up. They research charities each year and take responsibility for signing up volunteers.”

Not only highshoolers, but also college students help out at the ReStore, including those who are members of Habitat for Humanity campus chapters.

Students in those chapters partner with Habitat affiliates to build and repair homes, advocate for affordable housing and raise funds to support Habitat’s mission.

Fifteen members of the Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter at the University of Wisconsin – Stout put in a full day of work at the ReStore on a recent Saturday. It took a lot of muscle to clean out the ReStore’s storage area. Teams of students loaded dollies with new and used windows and doors, rolled them onto the sales floor and restocked displays. They moved stacks of boxed kitchen cabinets, unloaded pallets of donations and priced merchandise.

“Young people come to volunteer at the ReStore and Habitat construction sites because they want to be there,” said Heather Erickson, Senior Associate of  Youth and Education Community Relations at Twin Cities Habitat.

“They’re open to being instructed and are adaptable,” added Anna Meyer, Volunteer Programs Manager. “We love young volunteers. Hopefully, they’ll come back and also become Habitat advocates.”

Click here to volunteer at the ReStore or here to learn more about programs for youth volunteers; or email Heather.Erickson@tchabitat.org.