Volunteering at Habitat for Humanity’s Restore
Steve’s Commitment to Habitat for Humanity When not exploring the world, Steve dedicates his time to the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Franklin, Wisconsin. Habitat for Humanity aims to address inadequate housing by partnering with communities to build and renovate affordable homes. Their mission is to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. By engaging volunteers, securing donations, and mobilizing resources, Habitat for Humanity strives to eliminate substandard housing and make homeownership accessible for families in need. Their efforts provide shelter and promote stability, self-reliance, and sustainable living practices, fostering a lasting, positive impact on communities worldwide.
Funding and Contributions While donations and grants form a significant portion of Habitat for Humanity’s funding, Restore locations generate revenue through the sale of donated items. This supports Habitat for Humanity’s efforts in building and repairing homes, providing affordable home improvement solutions, and reducing waste by diverting usable items from landfills. The 2024 Annual Report highlights that the three Milwaukee Restores generated over $3.7 million in revenue (€3.525 million). In 2024, Milwaukee’s Habitat for Humanity built 32 new homes, and since 1984, nearly 1,500 families have found stability through Milwaukee Habitat. They have also tithed over $5 million globally to extend their impact.
Franklin Restore Details The Franklin Restore spans over 31,000 square feet (2,880 square meters), with 19,000 square feet (1,765 square meters) dedicated to sales floor space, while the remaining area is used for donation processing and office space. The Restore offers a variety of gently used items, including furniture, appliances, cabinets, lighting, artwork, outdoor goods, doors, windows, lumber, and tools. Each day features a diverse selection of common and unique donations.
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Steve’s Volunteering Experience Steve started volunteering one day a week. After a few weeks, he noticed his step count was between 10,000 and 15,000 steps in a 4-hour shift, prompting him to commit to three days a week. A typical day involves moving furniture and other merchandise from the distribution center to the sales floor, assisting customers with loading larger purchases into their vehicles, assembling beds and other items, and occasionally repairing damaged goods.
Leveraging IT Skills With a background in IT and data analysis, Steve offered his expertise to develop a more robust reporting system using data from their sales systems. He also designed an application to track incoming donations and the number of vehicles loaded. On average, the Franklin Restore takes in about 35 donations and loads about 38 vehicles per day.
Cindy’s Contributions Cindy volunteers by building houses and, with her background in real estate appraisal, helps Habitat homeowners take advantage of the Wisconsin Lottery Tax Credit. This credit reduces their annual real estate tax bill. Cindy was featured on a local TV news piece on how to apply for this credit.
Other Volunteer Activities Cindy ushers a few times a month at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Marcus Performing Arts Center. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Downtown Neighbors Association of Milwaukee, Inc. Steve and Cindy also spent time helping the Milwaukee Christian Center Food Pantry. Cindy would prepare food boxes for people that needed food assistance. Steve developed an application to track the people the pantry served to meet the requirements for State reporting and reporting to the Hunger Task Force and United Way. Finally, every summer we spend the week setting up and dismantling the Cultural Center at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, the world’s largest celebration of Irish/Celtic music and culture, is held annually on the third weekend in August on the shore of Lake Michigan at the Henry W. Maier Festival Park, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
That’s it. We find volunteering as a way to pass time between our travel schedule.