Gleaning for Good Works

However, Venugopal also works with smaller donations. She says she recently made the acquaintance of a small-town Kansas construction company willing to donate six pallets of tile if someone would come and pick them up.

“Small partners with small donations are as important to our network as the larger donations of multiple truckloads,” she says.

Click photo to enlargeThe emphasis of TPFH may be tile, but Venugopal says stone is also welcome, along with the materials needed to set tile or install a countertop. It’s been a particularly popular donation for some of the community outreach centers MRC supplies, where some work with local stone fabricators.

“I know if we can get these beautiful materials to them they can put them to good use and keep them out of the dumpsters,” she says. “We also want to help keep these materials in circulation for the duration of their life cycles and with stone that’s indefinite.”

A PLACE FOR STONE

Interestingly, the Tile Partners for Humanity partner, the Americus, Ga.-based Habitat for Humanity International, isn’t generally interested in donations of natural stone for its projects.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have a place in Habitat’s overall plans, though. Drew Meyer, senior director for the organization’s ReStores, says that the construction side tries to be consistent in that one house is very similar to another in terms of the quality of materials that go into them.

However, nearly 800 Habitat ReStores are interested in selling new and gently used donated goods including building materials, furniture, home accessories and appliances as a source of funding for Habitat’s mission.

The first ReStores, which opened 20 years ago, actually began as a way to dispose of building materials not used on Habitat projects. Meyer says today the operation is by far the largest outlet for donated building materials in the country.Click photo to enlarge

“We look at the potential and what’s been done with Goodwill® (Industries International) in the soft-goods industry, and we look at ourselves as being able to perhaps grow to that level in the hard goods side of the business,” he says.

As with MRC, Habitat’s donors are a mix of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, contractors and artisans looking to move mainly new materials. However, the organization is a bit more receptive to individual donors contacting their local ReStore outlets.

Some ReStore outlets also have what Meyer refers to as deconstruction teams to reclaim some items from demolitions, although most work with local contractors.

“A lot of remodelers and contractors communicate to their clients that they can donate these materials which will keep them out of the waste stream and out of the landfill,” he says. “At the same time, they’re having an impact on building and helping their neighbors. And, an ancillary benefit is there are some tax advantages.”

With a buyer base ranging from treasure seekers to landlords to everyday homeowners, Meyer says most inventory turns pretty quickly. However, he says the organization still needs to do some brand-building among potential donors to let them know they can do more than just write a check.

“Many people and organizations don’t know they can make material donations – whether it’s something that’s outdated or excess stock — and it has a direct impact on serving families and changing lives within their communities,” he says.

REVENUE STREAM

Habitat for Humanity also isn’t the only organization to realize the value of redirecting construction materials. Many smaller groups have found that donated items, both new and reclaimed, can provide a good source of revenue for their non-profit efforts.

There is no Bud in Bud’s Warehouse, which bills itself as Denver’s home-improvement thrift store. Director Andy Magel explains that Bud stands for Building Unity and Dignity through Service, a program started in 1995, when a group of contractors and ministry leaders came together under the non-profit umbrella of an organization called Belay Enterprises.