In 2008, the Casper affiliate of Habitat for Humanity raised an average of $2,000 a month more than it had before, thanks to the RESTORE project.

RESTORE, a concept employed by Habitat for Humanity chapters around the country, is a building supply store that sells new and used construction materials at reduced costs to low-income families and other community members.

A grant from the Wyoming Community Foundation helped the organization convert its storage yard, out of which it made informal sales, into this full-fledged business. Sales in 2008 showed a 700% increase over sales in 2007, and revenue generated by the RESTORE will be used to offset administrative costs as well as provide a significant portion of the cost of building at least one home each year.

The benefit for low-income families shopping for construction supplies at the RESTORE is that they often get better quality products than what they would find in large chain-stores, but at a lower price that what they could find for lower quality items, said Bruce Maurer, executive director of the Casper Habitat for Humanity.

Merchandise at the RESTORE comes from donations and surplus materials for Habitat projects. In 2008, approximately $72,000 worth of merchandise was donated.

Currently, the RESTORE is largely an outdoor shopping area, with small portable buildings for display and storage of appliances and cabinets. Habitat for Humanity’s next goals are to construct two more portable buildings to add more sales space, while looking for a larger building that will allow the expansion of operations and sales.