Habitat for Humanity Victoria has opened a new home for its ReStore facility in Saanich.
The organization says it needed more space, as the old Oak Street location was getting too crammed with donations. The Oak Street location is now closed.
On Saturday morning, the new, bigger location in Saanich officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Inside the new shop, found at 721 Vanalman Ave., donated goods of all sorts fill the shelves.
Everything from seasonal decorations to furniture and appliances, to small household items are on display.
“It’s a wonderful resource,” said local resident Sharon Darroch. “I come often to ReStore, there’s always lots of good finds. It’s a great place to donate your items too.”
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The new ReStore location in Saanich is shown. Nov. 18, 2023.
ReStore not only offers affordable household items, but it also plays an important environmental role by diverting items in good condition away from the landfill.
Last year, two other ReStore locations in the West Shore and Uptown prevented over 236,000 new or gently used items from ending up in the garbage.
Revenue generated from ReStore is designed to cover the operation overhead of Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable homes for families.
“The ability to create affordable home ownership in our community, a subject and a topic that’s so forefront right now, is paramount,” said Frank Baker, Habitat for Humanity director of retail operations and business development. “It’s the main thing of what we do.”
“The products that we sell in our environment help meet their budget now too with inflation,” he said. “And [with] cost of living, people have to do more with less and that’s what we’re trying to help them do.”
Habitat for Humanity hopes that the new location in Saanich will help it accomplish even more in the years ahead.
SEE ALSO: Vital People: Home sweet home thanks to Habitat for Humanity Victoria
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