Over the course of this past year, the Beaverton ReStore had over 21,143 hours of volunteer service performed by our 658 volunteers! We have had many new volunteers start with us this year, including Ann, Craig, and Nat who have all completed over 100 hours.
Ann was introduced to Habitat while working for a health clinic in a low-income neighborhood in Iowa. There she was able to meet people whose lives were transformed by the local Habitat that was working to help lift its residents out of poverty. Her son-in-law’s mother ended up becoming a Habitat homeowner– something that completely changed their life. Ever since then, Ann has remained committed to the Habitat mission – through volunteering, donating, and shopping! In fact, Ann purchased a fixer-upper and remodeled her home using ReStore materials. Ann continues to volunteer at the ReStore because she loves meeting and talking with people, especially the wide array of shoppers we see in our store!
Craig was a customer in the store who Ann recruited. Craig said that by the time he was leaving the store, Ann had convinced him to sign up to volunteer with us! For over 20 years, Craig donated money and goods to a ReStore in Virginia, leading him to feel a natural inclination toward the Habitat mission. Now Craig volunteers in the ReStore’s woodshop and on the sales floor. He is currently working on repairing a buffet and cabinet doors. There is always a new project to work on here! Like Ann, he enjoys the customers in the store–the dogs that come in are some of his favorite shoppers.
Nat volunteered overseas helping build houses in Romania and teaching English to Arab immigrants. He worked as a schoolteacher for many years and, after retiring, wanted to find a way to continue to give back to the community. After shopping at the ReStore, he thought that volunteering here would be a good opportunity to get involved with the community. While at the ReStore, Nat enjoys looking at all of the neat treasures that make their way to the store. In fact, he won the Treasure Hunt medallion at the Portland Rose Festival on two separate occasions!
In addition to our awesome individual volunteers, we have had some fun groups in the ReStore. Nike, Intel, Wells Fargo, Oregon Episcopal Schools, Independent Transition Services, and Cascade-Pacific Academy have consistently brought volunteer groups to help us out! With their help, we have been able to handle tasks that we are otherwise unable to do. Over the last few months, they have helped price and move product, unbox pallets of goods, and merchandise throughout the store. In October, the Master Recyclers came for a tour of the facility to see what we do in the store to be environmentally friendly. In November, kindergarteners from the German school joined us for a morning of learning and fun! They were able to see the ReStore in action and think about why what we do is so important.
To celebrate our volunteers, in October we had a spooky movie night complete with pumpkin painting, costumes, pizza and Halloween treats! We have also been busy continuing to build our volunteer program. With the help of our volunteers, we recently completed a remodel of our volunteer break area. In February we recognized our volunteers at our annual Golden Beavers Awards ceremony. We also hosted multiple Days of Service! If you are interested in volunteering, stop by to get a tour!
Regardless of your age (16+), skill set, physical ability, or education, we have a place for you to be a part of the ReStore community. Whether you are looking to learn new skills, meet new people, or want to offer your wealth of experience to our cause – we want you on our team.
Contact us to learn more about volunteering opportunities, or visit our website: www.pdxrestore.org/volunteer.
By Teralyn Dorst –Teralyn Dorst is volunteer program coordinator for the Beaverton ReStore.
