NEWS RELEASE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WELLINGTON DUFFERIN GUELPH
*************************
Habitat for Humanity Wellington Dufferin Guelph (Habitat WDG) has announced that the Fergus Habitat ReStore – located at 927-900 Tower Street South – has recently reopened to shoppers. Habitat ReStores sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, building supplies and home accessories. The store, which will be operating under modified hours, will also be accepting donations at the warehouse entrance.
Staff at the Restore will take all COVID-19 safety precautions including physical distancing through strategic product display placement, continued sanitizing during the day, and a plexiglass shield at the check-out counter. Shoppers can enter the store from Tuesday to Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Donations of new and gently used items will be accepted, contact-free, at the back entrance, Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Items will be thoroughly sanitized before being offered for sale.
Deb Stanson, Manager of the Fergus ReStore, shares, “We are grateful for the outpouring of support by our community that have chosen to shop online via our Facebook page while we were closed to the public. Their eagerness to support us further by donating their gently used household items has helped us make the decision to begin to reopen our store.” Deb adds, “Many people are ‘spring cleaning’ during the pandemic and have gathered items to donate to the ReStore. Proceeds from these sales help Habitat for Humanity continue to provide homeownership opportunities to families in the community. By offering these items for resale and recycling, the ReStore also keeps tons of materials out of area landfills every year.”
A list of accepted items is on the website at the website.
Like many businesses and charitable organizations, Habitat WDG has suffered great sales losses during the pandemic, including about $360,000 from ReStore sales.
Steve Howard, CEO, comments, “ReStore revenues for 2020 were on an upward trend. Our team was celebrating higher profit levels than in previous years. Now it feels as though we have lost that momentum, which is putting a strain on our resources as we continue to build affordable housing in the community.”
The Guelph ReStore – located at 300-104 Dawson Road – will open on Tuesday, May 26 to shoppers, and start accepting donations on June 2, following the same hours and protocols as the Fergus location.
Habitat WDG’s current build, Cityview Village, is still active, with a target of welcoming 8 more families into their homes by the end of Summer 2020. These families have partnered with Habitat WDG through an application and interview process.
Part of the agreement requires families to contribute 500 volunteer hours to the organization. However, due to the pandemic, Habitat WDG suspended having volunteers on the Cityview Village build site. Now with the ReStores reopening, these families will have an opportunity to earn their hours. Community members can also choose to donate a portion of their volunteer hours back to these families to help them reach their goal sooner.
Habitat WDG currently has just under $1,000,000 of costs to complete the Cityview Village build by the end of September. Half of this will come from a grant from Canada Mortgage and Housing. The balance relies on donations and ReStore revenues.
Habitat WDG encourages those who are able to consider making a monetary donation during the upcoming Great Canadian Giving Challenge, happening throughout the month of June, to support the Cityview Village build. Every dollar donated to a registered charity in the month of June via CanadaHelps.org automatically enters the charity to win an additional $20,000 donation. The grand prize draw will take place on July 1st, Canada Day, and one lucky charity will receive this grand prize of $20,000.
Habitat WDG’s office has been closed to the public since mid-March, but staff are continuing to work, ensuring that the Cityview Village build and ReStores can continue to make progress.
*************************
