Penticton officially welcomed another member to its business community Saturday, one that is going to have a strong impact on the social level.
The 16,000-square-foot building that formerly housed the Rooms to Go business has been taken over by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore operations.
Habitat employees, volunteers and elected officials took part Saturday in the official opening of the facility.
Penticton, like other parts of the Okanagan, and communities across B.C. has a homeownership crisis, said Lorraine Richmond, director of culture for Habitat.
“People need a place to live,” she said. “The ReStore is kind of the business centre of Habitat for Humanity. It helps earn money and income to support the entire operation and help us buy the land and build the homes for working people.”
Related: Penticton Habitat for Humanity ReStore opens
One of the best parts of the ReStore operations, she added, is that all of the money raised remains in this region and 100 per cent of cash donations go directly to the building projects, including land purchases.
While there is some paid staff, much of the work is done by the many volunteers and all of the things for sale are donated.
“We have almost everything that belongs in a home,” she said. “Everything from construction materials to wine goblets to dishes to light fixtures. We don’t take mattresses but we take almost anything that belongs in a home.
“We also have sponsorships like with the Home Depot for example, so they will give us last year’s stocks so there are some new materials. We’ve got a huge shipment of brand new tools that have never been opened.”
Neil Smith, ReStore’s chief operating officer, predicts the Penticton store will be one of the best in Canada.
“We’ve been ramping up our operations the last five years in the Okanagan and Penticton is just one more step as we move forward to our mandate of safe decent and affordable housing for families here in the Okanagan,” Smith told the crowd just before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
He added that while there is much talk about the work of Habitat for Humanity many people are unaware of the store’s environmental impact.
“Since we opened five years ago our record is 6.8 million pounds or about 47,000 cubic metres of product we have kept out of local landfills,” said Smith. “With the product that is rolling into this store, we know Penticton is going to mimic those numbers as well.”
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit, who cut the ribbon along with ReStore board chair Stacey Fenwick, welcomed the organization.
“It’s always great or exciting when we get to celebrate the opening of a new business and this is even more special because it’s a non-profit. It’s going back into our community and doing a good thing,” said Jakubeit, who was joined by MLA Dan Ashton and Coun. Judy Sentes at the opening.
ReStore is open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for sales and to receive donated items.
