SUMTER, S.C. — The Sumter Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. The store takes donated items and sells them for discounted prices, putting all proceeds toward the organization’s goal of building affordable housing.
At the nonprofit’s ReStore, you can get anything from a spatula to a lamp to couches and everything in between.
“I’ve gotten all sorts of stuff from here,” resident Jena Behrens explains.
Behrens says she comes in to see the offerings on a regular basis.
“Sometimes I buy stuff, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I donate stuff, sometimes I don’t,” Behrens shares. “So it kinda goes back and forth like that and then I tell other people about it as well.”
She spreads the word in hopes of making more Sumter residents aware of the resource
“The ReStore is Habitat for Humanity’s biggest fundraiser,” manager Shamilla Welch details. “All the funds raised here go toward building homes for Habitat for Humanity.”
Welch says the nonprofit is looking for volunteers to help out.
“As many as we can get! There’s not a cap on that,” Welch laughs. “We’ll take as many as we can get.”
Volunteers are needed to help with tasks like loading and unloading donations from vehicles, stocking shelves and inspecting items before they get put out for sale and looked through by customers that come in five days a week.
“On the average, we probably have 50 to 100 customers coming in on a daily basis,” Welch shares.
Customers like Behrens, who says she lives nearby and comes in whenever she can.
“I just know that there’s some people that really can need extra stuff and this is a great place to come and get it,” Behrens says. “It’s also a good place to get rid of things that you just don’t want and other people would still enjoy having.”
They can come pick up items, which are constantly rotating. Welch tells me last year, ReStore raised roughly half a million dollars to help with the organization’s mission of “giving people affordable housing, so just a home that they can afford,” Welch explains.
If you’re interested in volunteering or shopping, Welch says help is needed both with building houses and with helping inside ReStore. For more information, you can visit the organization's website at HabitatSumter.org/volunteer.
“It always makes you feel good because you're helping someone in need,” Behrens shares.