Shelburne Home Hardware donates $20,000 worth of supplies to Habitat for Humanity

September 13, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By MARNI WALSH

Bill Gillam, owner of Shelburne Home Hardware, has been donating to Habitat for Humanity since 2003 when he built his Peterborough store. “Every year when I cleared out some of the inventory, it was always a way to help someone else with a use for the material or product, without throwing it away.” This year, Mr. Gillam says, $20,000 worth of building supplies, “all the items from our tent sale and store that are surplus, or items that we would like to see someone else have the benefit of,” will be donated to Orangeville Restore, for Habitat for Humanity.

“There is always someone who could use it,” says Mr. Gillam. “My grandfather and dad never tossed anything out, they would always find someone who needed it. I do the same.”

The owner of Shelburne Home Hardware says he started donating from his Shelburne store when he recognized that his staff was moving a large number of items after the annual May and September tent sales in and out of the store’s yard sale room. “The objective was to donate and allow someone to use them… and allow the store to have an updated yard sale inventory for the annual sale.” With that objective in mind, in the last three years the store has donated over $70,000 in building supplies.

After five and a half years at Shelburne Home Hardware, Mr. Gillam says the donation this year “was the best item selection ever.” He says, knowing he and his wife Carole “are committed to the program,” and the staff participating in the giving, makes everyone “feel good.”

“The cause has always been a positive one for the benefits of providing product and material to the Restore – so they can create cash flow to build more affordable housing units for local families that need it,” says Mr. Gillam.

He says, “The additional benefit, of all of our staff knowing that they are part of helping the community, is immediate. Support local is huge. The future benefits that I look at are the new builds that will happen in Orangeville and Dufferin County. My store will be a part of the construction on work days with our staff and contractors to help if they need us. Shelburne Home Hardware Building Centre has been built on the strength of our contractors, retail customers, and our amazing staff’s support and I look forward to working on future plans with the Orangeville Restore projects in the future.”