This March, Habitat for Humanity of Adams-Juneau is asking our community to start your spring cleaning by getting rid of tools you don’t need or use any more, including hammers, saws, shovels, rakes, drills, mowers, power tools, tractors, yard tools and more. Donate your excess tools to Habitat and we’ll use them to build houses. Tools that we cannot directly use to build houses will be sold at the Mauston ReStore, where all proceeds will go towards the cost of building houses. This event is part of a wider effort at Habitat for Humanity ReStores across the state to replace or supplement the tools used to build habitat houses.

We will be happy to make your donation more convenient for you by picking up your tools directly from your home or business. Call us at (608) 847-2000 to schedule a pickup. Otherwise, you can drop off donations at the ReStore, located at N3696 U.S. 12, Mauston, WI 53948. Our hours are 10-5 Tuesday – Friday and 9-4 on Saturday.

Based on a flyer from our ReStore, on a church bulletin board, we have become the recipient of a large quantity of commercial quality doors thanks to Harry Cherney. Harry, an industrial engineer at Marshfield Door Systems, saw one of these flyers and called us to see if we might be interested in some new, perfectly good doors that his company would otherwise need to scrap.

Marshfield Door Systems produces roughly 5,000 doors each week. Occasionally customers will reject the doors they order based on minor imperfections or changes in their building design, or for other reasons. The company has approximately 500 doors that are in this surplus status. To help reduce the number of doors being thrown away due to rejection, Habitat ReStore in Mauston is now in the process of picking up these doors and plans to share them with other Wisconsin ReStores. This donation partnership has already been beneficial to both Habitat and Marshfield Door Systems, as these excellent doors are now available for sale in the Mauston Habitat ReStore. We currently have two types of doors from this donation, and other types will likely be available in the coming months.

Habitat for Humanity and the Mauston ReStore are now recruiting candidates for two AmeriCorps VISTA summer positions. AmeriCorps VISTA has been fighting poverty by placing volunteers in nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity since 1964. Full-time positions run from June 15 through August 15. As a summer VISTA, you will be expected to work on a variety of projects such as Habitat house construction, donation pick-ups, office/computer work, and other projects as needed. Strong communication and computer skills are a plus for this position.

This position will provide an opportunity to help low-income families get affordable housing in Adams and Juneau Counties. Summer VISTAs receive a monthly stipend and a small housing allowance, as well as $1,194 for tuition or student loans after completing the summer term. For the right candidate, it is possible the position can begin before the current June 15 start date.

These positions will be located at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore – N3696 U.S. 12, Mauston, WI 53948, just one hour from Madison and La Crosse. Call 608-238-5214 or email jimabbs@gmail.com for more information.