A New Home For Your Old Kitchen

Did you know your old kitchen could benefit another family? We catch up with non–profit housing organisation Habitat for Humanity to find out more.

Before you rip out your kitchen to replace it with a new one, read this article and see how your old, discarded kitchen could actually make a real difference to someone else.

If you haven’t heard of them, non-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity began in 1976, thanks to the work of its American founders Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat empowers families to build or improve the place they call home; advocating to improve access to affordable shelter and supporting funding models that enable families with limited resources to make vital improvements to their homes.

Working in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries worldwide, including across Ireland, Habitat brings people from across the community to serve the most vulnerable.

As Chief Executive Jenny Williams explains, ‘At present in Northern Ireland we have our House to Home programme, ReStore and our Kitchen Rescue Programme. In the south of Ireland our first ReStore will be opening in Dublin this summer, which will be a hub to extend programes like House to Home.’

WHAT IS RESTORE?

Habitat ReStore is the social enterprise which sells donated new and used building supplies and home improvement materials at low cost. ReStore has had significant and sustainable impact for local people and the wider community, annually serving more than 40,000 local people and diverting over 660 tonnes of material from landfill.

‘Here in Northern Ireland we actually have the first four Habitat ReStore’s in Europe. I had been made aware of these in the US and I was determined to bring these to Ireland,’ explains Jenny.