The Journey of Your ReStore Donations

When you donate an item to our ReStore Home Improvement Outlets, you aren't just supporting Habitat—you're also supporting your community and the environment. Your donations keep our ReStores sustainable. They redistribute affordable household items to the community and in turn support local families on their path to homeownership. These donations are cherished by the ReStore staff from the moment they leave your hands to the moment they find a new home. What does that journey look like, exactly? Let's dive in.

First, just by choosing to donate your item to the ReStore, you're making a big difference already. Rather than being discarded in a landfill, your valued donation has a chance to find a new home. Off to a great start!

Next, you'll either drop your donation off at one of our ReStores or schedule a pick-up time. And before your donation has started on its journey, you'll get a 20% ReStore discount as a thank-you for your donation.

After you've completed your donation, these items are placed in the back of the ReStore and await inspection by one of our staff members. In order to maximize the impact of your gifts, staff members need to ensure that every item is priced fairly. 

When determining the price of a donated item, staff members have to consider a variety of factors. The type of donations, materials used to make the item, and demand for the item all influence the price established by our staff. This process ultimately maximizes the impact of your donation. 

For example, let's say you decide to donate a door. First, our staff members determine whether or not the item is in good enough condition to be brought to the floor. Next, the price has to be established before it is put on display.

There is a general price baseline that is determined by the type of item. After the baseline is established, it can increase based on the demand for that item. Hypothetically, let's say that the door is made of mahogany and is in pristine condition—this increases the price of the door. This price regulation is not just to make more money for Habitat; it ensures that we're placing the same value and care on every item that its previous owners did. 

Once the item is determined to be floor ready, then we quickly get it priced and on its way. It's placed on the store floor and it can stay there for anything from minutes to weeks depending on our shopper's interests. (Maybe it'll make an appearance on our ReStore social media, where we regularly share photos of products on the floor!)

Finally, once a customer decides to give that item a new home, the money from that sale helps fund our affiliate and further Habitat's mission.  If you'd like to learn more about how your donations impact Habitat, click here. 

Don't have anything to donate? You can still get involved! We are always looking for volunteers at the ReStore locations. Whether it's loading and unloading new items, putting together furniture, or helping at the registers. Our staff members will always welcome the extra help. (Plus, it's a good chance for you to keep an eye on products you might be interested in for yourself!)

If you still aren't convinced of the importance of your donations to our ReStore locations, here are some quotes from our staff about their experiences. 

"Donations are the lifeblood of ReStore." -Jill Carmody, Minneapolis ReStore Senior Manager

"Donations large or small, we love them all." -Robin Henrichson, Director of ReStore Operations