Merrillville Restore Celebrates Its Two-Year Anniversary of Serving the Community

Merrillville-Restore-Celebrates-Its-Two-Year-Anniversary-of-Serving-the-CommunityJanuary marked the ReStore’s two-year anniversary at the newest location in Merrillville. This is the second ReStore in Northwest Indiana since the Griffith store opened in 2005.

ReStore is a thrift shop built on donations from the public and big box stores. They aim to reuse and recycle materials that would otherwise be put to waste. Since the creation of the two Northwest Indiana locations, 1.5 million pounds of waste have been diverted from landfills.

“I love to see how customers recycle items,” said ReStore District Manager, Kim DeRisi. “The photos they show me are beautiful. I think people feel good when they get creative and recycle.”

Both locations accept lightly used and new items to sell back to the community at a fraction of the retail price. The funds received from each item sold are allocated to Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana.

“ReStores are an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable, materials out of the waste stream while providing funding for Habitat's community improvement work. It's a vital funding stream to help build Habitat homes,” said DeRisi. “ReStores mean we can help more families in need of safe, affordable housing get a home.”

With the help of volunteers and the funds from both ReStores, Habitat for Humanity builds houses for low-income families. In the end, families receive a home with no interest charge.

In the past 32 years, Northwest Indiana’s Habitat for Humanity has served 105 families by providing them with a home. ReStore and Habitat for Humanity aim to serve 10 families this year.

“It’s been a team effort cleaning it (ReStores) up, organizing and giving it a fresh look. We've made many changes over the years to make it better,” said DeRisi. “We have a wonderful, friendly staff and a place that I am proud of. We are open to the public and hope people come in to see what we have to offer.”

ReStores offer local donation pick-ups for Lake County. Call (219) 972-3000 or email a picture of the item to scheduling@nwihabitat.org to schedule a pick-up or donate. Call or visit the ReStores at www.nwirestore.org for any other questions.