Habitat’s new resale shop is ready for business as of March 27, 2013.  It is located in the bright blue building, next to Belt Salvage, at 6786 Highway 491/160 just past the intersection with Road G.   After much work in getting the building ready, we have cleaned and stocked the shelves with merchandise.  Lynn Anderson is the hard working manager.

More than 800 Habitat affiliates across the United States and Can­ada operate “ReStores,” shops that sell new and “gently-used” build­ing materials, appliances and housewares to the public at dis­counted prices. All proceeds are then used by the affiliate to fund construction work, either new builds or renovations.

Many local volunteers have been hard at work using their skills to modify the building’s interior into a usable space. They’ve knocked down at least one wall, repaired and textured existing drywall and installed a garage door in the back — supplied by Dan Belt to handle larger items.

We really need more donations and will accept items from con­tractors, retail stores and homeowners trying to downsize and streamline. Sometimes retailers of fix­tures, furniture and ap­pliances will donate floor models that are scratched, dented or discontinued but still fully serviceable.

We will carry everything from paint to sporting goods to “bric-a-brac and knick­knacks,” but we don’t want it to become a repository for junk. People should ask themselves if they’d be em­barrassed giving their do­nated items to someone in person.

Donations should be dropped off, if possible, at the store during busi­ness hours.  Unlike some affiliates, the local Habi­tat doesn’t own an official truck to drive around town for pick-ups. Volunteers use their own cars.  Building materials, tools, furniture, appliances and other usable items can also be donated (see a complete list under donate) – call 565-8327 to schedule a drop off or pick up.

Donors can receive tax­deductible receipts be­cause of Habitat’s 501(c)(3) status.   Please no clothes, food, plastic kitch­enware and broken appliances.

Ultimately, the store serves three functions: fun­draising for Habitat, an af­fordable shopping outlet for consumers on a budget and removing items other­wise destined for the waste stream.

Our goals for 2013 are making the store a success and launching a new round of Brush With Kindness projects, where front facades of bedraggled houses get a makeover; vol­unteers freshened up six homes in the last two years. As funding and momentum pick up, Habitat will priori­tize remodels over building new homes from scratch, she said, given the num­ber of vacant or run-down houses in Cortez. However, the organization did ac­quire its first parcel of land, on Par Drive, last July, with intentions to break ground one day.

To qualify for Habitat help, households must earn 60 percent or less of the Montezuma County medi­an income.

“Our motto is giving a hand up, not a handout”.  All the la­bor is volunteer, but the homeowners have to partner during the work and pay us back for materials.”

The affiliate offers flex­ible payment plans based on each client’s income. One woman, for example, is slowly but surely paying her loan back at a rate of $25 per month.

See the tab “A Brush With Kindness” for more information and an application.

We are an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a non-denominational Christian housing ministry and global home-building movement.  Habitat welcomes all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or any other difference, to join us and build homes for people in need.  We are also a Colorado non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

We can’t end poverty housing alone, so please join us . . . we have many rehab projects, homes and lives to build!