The Green Side of Habitat

We’re back with another edition of Good News Tues to spread a little joy from our Habitat family to yours. We’re all in this together. Here’s hoping this brings a little light to your day. 

The Green Side of Habitat

To make safe, affordable homeownership and home repair possible, Milwaukee Habitat relies on generous donations from folks like you in our community. These donations come in a variety of forms from monetary gifts, to donations of real estate, planned giving, and more. For many, that support came in the form of a donation to our ReStores in 2019. Milwaukee Habitat’s three locations received a whopping 16,781 donations last year! As Milwaukee Habitat’s largest single fundraiser, these donations of gently used furniture, appliances, cabinets and more are crucial to sustaining our mission of building homes, communities and hope.

In addition to being integral to our mission, however, these donations come with the added bonus of creating a more environmentally sustainable Milwaukee. Last year alone, Milwaukee Habitat’s three ReStores prevented more than 7.7 million pounds of usable materials from ending up in local landfills. That’s roughly the equivalent of 289 school buses! Or 16 Statues of Liberty! And that’s just one year!

7.7 million pounds is a lot of donated stuff, so where did it all come from?

• Donation Drop-Offs – Generous individuals and businesses dropping off donations at each of our three convenient stores/donation centers.
• Donation Pick-Ups – Our fleet of donation trucks are picking up residential and commercial donations five days a week throughout Milwaukee County.
• Deconstruction – This team is actively salvaging everything from entire kitchens to usable items from large commercial properties (like the Bradley Center before it was torn down). 

All-in-all those 7.7 million pounds translated into more than $2.56 million in sales for our three ReStores in 2019. The proceeds of which are invested right back into our community to build safe, affordable homes and provide affordable home repairs. Talk about a win-win!