Hannah is our amazing Volunteer Coordinator at the Gresham ReStore.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Hannah, my pronouns are they/them. I grew up in Oregon just on the edge of the Mount Hood National Forest! I’ve spent the last decade living in Vermont with my cat and husband Ben. I’ve been working at Gresham ReStore for slightly over a year now. I started right in the middle of the pandemic when there were no volunteers around and we had just started opening back up again. It’s grown a lot in the past year!
What’s your role at the ReStore?
As the Volunteer Coordinator for the Gresham ReStore, I am responsible for spreading the word about ReStore to recruit more awesome volunteers. Volunteers come from all sorts of backgrounds and interests, from high school interns building work experience to folks completing community service hours. My day-to-day involves training new folks that come in to help, building rapport among staff, volunteers, and customers, and engaging with our local community through special events and service projects (more to come as we recover from the pandemic).
What’s something about the ReStore you wish more people knew about?
It’s not just a secondhand store- it’s also a first home. ReStore is part of a cycle of change that helps our community build affordable housing. Our homebuyers often volunteer in the stores, and get furniture for their homes from the stores. Every dollar spent in the stores goes toward building more homes. Also, the Gresham ReStore specifically is the only one in the area to sell clothing, and provides a lot of home goods in addition to building supplies. Also! You don’t need any experience to volunteer! Come join the crew.
Three Fun Facts
1. My cat has her own Instagram at @starbursttheadventurecat.
2. I am an amateur illustrator! Current projects: social justice coloring book, thru-hiking novel, children’s book series about adventure cats.
3. I love to hike! Favorite trip is backpacking 3,000km across New Zealand.
Thank you Hannah! We are so glad you are a part of the ReStore team.
