“Giving is not just about donating; it’s about making a difference”-Kathy Calvin.

Millions of empathic people in this world have the zeal to help the deprived, but they often find it hard to take the first step.

You might have also found it challenging at first to find the right way to help people in need.

Dorchester Habitat for Humanity offers people the perfect opportunity to lend a helping hand and make a positive impact on society. We are a non-profit organization formed to help low-income families realize their dream of owning a home. By constructing decent homes for less-privileged people at a reasonable price, we build a stronger and sustainable community, one house at a time.

Dorchester Habitat for Humanity – Mission and Purpose

Founded in the year 1993, Dorchester Habitat for Humanity has successfully built over 60 homes in Dorchester County and has benefited over 180 residences. Our charitable organization has also grown beyond Charleston, as it now covers over 1,400 such communities in the U.S. and 70 other countries.

We have been fortunate enough to receive donations and volunteer support from people irrespective of their background, race, caste, and religion. Since our inception, we have established ourselves as an inclusive organization that doesn’t believe in favoring one particular section or creed. Our services are available for the needy irrespective of their caste, religion, or beliefs.

Community building is at the core of our foundation; our programs and volunteering opportunities aim to bring people from all walks of life together. Our ReStore Charleston is a unique concept, wherein we take donations of gently-used home improvement items and home furnishing goods. These items are refurbished as per the need and later sold in our store. The money earned by the sales is put to use to build homes for the needy. This is one of the best ways to prevent usable things from becoming landfills and, at the same time, put shelter over someone’s head.

However, our organization is often faced with a situation where we have to refuse certain donations or discard them.

Through this blog, we will try to answer all the FAQs regarding the donation. But before that, let’s take you through how Habitat for Humanity works.

Habitat ReStore

The Habitat ReStore is the primary project that our organization works on. It gives individuals and businesses an excellent platform to donate new and used household goods and build materials to rebuild activities.

These donated items can either be used as it is or can be sold outright from the store. Proceeds from such sales are eventually used to fund new and affordable housing constructions in Dorchester County and nearby areas.

By donating items to our ReStore program, you are not only helping in the construction activities. Still, you are also adopting an environmentally friendly alternative to disposing of them in the environment.

Christmas Homes

Every Christmas, we try to bring smiles to the faces by building low-income families decent abodes through our Home for Christmas Program. The overall idea is to make everything ready before Christmas with the cumulative efforts of volunteers.

These projects are executed quickly and therefore require both human resources and necessary materials to complete work.

Whether you are interested in construction work, home repair efforts, administrative assistance, or helping out at the ReStore, our doors are always open for you.

Homeownership Program

In our homeownership program, we partner with eligible families to build homes with a maximum quantity of donated materials and volunteering efforts.

Our mission is to sell homes at no profit and finance them with interest-free mortgages, making the whole process quite affordable for the buyers.

Our homeownership program is open to all, and there are no barriers to obtaining housing based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

Events

We organize various events all year round to allow business organizations to contribute to our activities and, at the same time, promote their brand by sponsoring our events.

Like Habitat Golf Classic and Women Build 2019, our upcoming events are always a great platform for businesses to participate and take a break from their hectic routine.

We encourage such events and activities as they help promote the cause and gain engagement from different corners of the country.

What Can You Donate?

Besides the will, building a house requires material and human resources. We try to gather as many construction materials as possible through generous donations and ReStore sales.

Apart from monetary donations, you can donate unused as well as gently used items for our programs. We accept the below-listed things:

  • Boats and RV’s
  • Furniture and Home Decor
  • Building Materials
  • Kitchen and Bath Fixtures
  • Electrical and Lighting
  • Doors
  • Windows
  • Clothing
  • Functioning Appliances
  • Carpet
  • Tile
  • Plumbing
  • Architectural Items
  • Functioning HVAC and AC
  • Cabinets
  • Hardware
  • Books
  • DVDs/CDs
  • Automobiles
  • Usable items from Deconstruction and Demolition, and
  • Storm Windows

However, there are certain items that we do not accept as donations:

  • Garage doors or garage door openers
  • Items that have strong odors
  • Bicycle
  • Motorcycle helmets
  • Console TVs and Stereos
  • Lumber less than 4’
  • Elbow/Knee pads
  • Firearms, ammunition, flares & explosives
  • Alcohol
  • Furniture that is ripped or stained and can’t be used without extreme repair
  • Automobile Tires
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Children’s Swing Sets
  • Hot Tubs
  • Cut pieces of drywall
  • Plants, fish, birds, and animals
  • Paint materials
  • Mattress or box springs
  • Oil-based paints
  • Perfume/Cologne
  • Partial cans of paint
  • Siding – we cannot take cut pieces
  • Pesticides
  • Homemade Tapes/Videos/CDs
  • Tires
  • Toxic materials
  • Trampolines
  • Water softeners
  • Unframed Mirrors or Glass
  • Used ductwork
  • Waterbeds
  • Water heaters
  • Tube television sets larger than 19
  • Weapons

We are sure this donation guide will help you decide what to donate to our cause.

How Can You Donate?

Our process of accepting donations is pretty simple. All you need to do for monetary donations is fill up this form and enter the amount you wish to donate. To donate items for ReStore Charleston or home construction, give us a call at (843) 473-7463, and our volunteers will be there at your doorstep to collect them. You can contact us anytime to know further details.

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