by Jackie Kirouac-Fram, Executive Director
At the top of this shopping season, I’d like to thank everyone who made reuse possible by donating materials to us this year! Your donated materials are the fuel that drives our work to support affordable home repairs and improvements. Without you, we would have nothing. Literally!
When you donate materials to us, you help people save money, build safety, retain their homes, and consume ethically. You make it possible for someone else to choose reuse instead of buying new. You make it possible for someone who cannot afford to buy new to fix, build, or create something that will bring them safety, joy, peace of mind, income…the list goes on, because there are endless, inspiring ways our community members make use of your materials.
Our staff regularly hear stories from guests who have made critical home repairs (like replacing flooring or a broken window), built something amazing (one of our guests built an entire sauna out of our affordable lumber!), or crafted our materials into something they’re selling to support themselves. For each of our 30,000+ customers per year, there’s a unique story – but they all originate with the materials. And the materials start with you.
In the coming year, we will have an even greater need for donated materials. Our new Home Repair for All program provides free, delivered materials to homeowners living with low incomes, and we need to have a strong inventory of items for them to choose from. As more and more online sales and giveaway sites arise each year, we ask that you first consider bringing your items to us, so we can make sure they end up back in use by someone who needs them. We’ll even come pick them up!
Huge gratitude to all of our material donors, and our future material donors! We appreciate you, and so do our guests!