The Habitat for Humanity Choptank ReStore, located at 8610 Commerce Drive in Easton, just off the bypass near Target, is preparing to celebrate its eighth anniversary with an open house on Saturday, November 3 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Shoppers and donors will enjoy food, special discounts on a wide variety of merchandise, and other family friendly activities such as face painting and a silent auction. At 10:00 am, store volunteers and staff will gather to reveal the total proceeds that have been generated to date to support Habitat’s affordable homeownership program.
The resale shop opened its doors in 2010 based on a business plan put together by a group of volunteers who saw the ReStore as an additional way to serve the community and raise funds to support Habitat Choptank’s homeownership program. “ReStore donors and shoppers are incredibly important to Habitat for Humanity Choptank and our mission to provide safe and affordable housing in Dorchester and Talbot Counties,” says ReStore Manager Chris Smith.
The ReStore accepts donations of quality used or new home improvement items, appliances, and furniture and provides an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of the waste stream. These donated items are then sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price.
Store inventory changes daily. The now-familiar ReStore trucks make a couple dozen pick-ups per week, collecting donated goods from individuals, retailers and builders all over the Mid-Shore. Hundreds more items are brought right to the ReStore by donors every month. Drive-up donors are greeted by a crew of dedicated volunteers who prepare a receipt that can be used for tax purposes.
The net proceeds from the ReStore are invested into Habitat Choptank’s self-help home purchasing program. Since its founding in 1992, the nonprofit home builder has made homeownership possible for 78 qualifying home buyers in Dorchester and Talbot Counties. That effort continues as nine more Habitat homes are in progress in Easton, Cambridge, and Hurlock, and four more are scheduled to begin in St. Michaels in the coming weeks. Currently 17 homes buyers are working through the home ownership program. Income qualifying home buyers are offered access to affordable mortgage financing in order to buy a new construction or rehabbed home from the nonprofit’s project inventory. After completing “sweat equity” hours, attending pre-homeownership classes, eliminating debt and meeting savings goals, these individuals and families will purchase homes that they helped construct and assume the full responsibilities of home ownership including maintaining their home, paying property taxes and repaying their mortgage over 30 to 33 years.
For more information, to donate or volunteer at Habitat Choptank’s ReStore, call 410-820-6186 or visit www.habitatchoptank.org.
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