Habitat for Humanity Receives Materials from Vacant Houses Near Hall of Fame

Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio this week removed dozens of usable items from nine vacant properties near the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The home accessories, appliances and building materials will be recycled or sold at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore retail site locally, with proceeds helping the organization fund its mission of building and preserving homes and revitalizing neighborhoods in its five-county service area.

“We thought there might be a door or two that Habitat would want,” said Kevin Shiplett, Vice President of Operations and Facilities at the Hall of Fame. “Once Habitat surveyed each home, they found so much more they needed a box truck to haul it all away. We’re excited knowing that those items would not end up in a landfill and instead will benefit ReStore.”

Habitat employees were granted access to 16 properties the Hall of Fame owns along Barr Avenue, which sits in the footprint of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls project. They found useful items ranging from bed frames to file cabinets to bathroom vanities in nine of the structures, needing only a few hours to load everything onto the large box truck. Perhaps the most unusual discovery: 15 bags of Quikrete mix, still dry and usable. The most desirable: several sturdy, metal exterior doors in good condition.

The Barr Avenue houses, along with others the Village owns in the area, will be razed in coming weeks to clear additional land for the multimillion-dollar development. The Village already has leveled several houses along Blake Avenue, one block west of Barr, near the Hall of Fame’s main driveway.

This week’s deconstruction of the nine Hall-owned homes continues a long-standing relationship between the Hall of Fame and Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio. In one previous endeavor, for example, Habitat received used furniture when the Hall refurbished some offices.

“We are so grateful the Pro Football Hall of Fame has continually been community-minded and supported Habitat’s efforts of increasing affordable housing in the community," said Beth Lechner, executive director of Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio. “All materials saved from houses will be diverted from area landfills and either recycled or sold at Habitat ReStore, where every dollar goes toward building decent, affordable homes with hardworking families in our community.”

Habitat’s Deconstruction Program is an excellent way to remove usable items from structures that are scheduled for renovation or demolition. The service is provided at no cost to the donor.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio, visit HabitatECO.org. Its ReStore location, at 1400 Raff Road SW in Canton Township, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. (Closed on Sundays and Mondays.)

Habitat ReStores are independently owned reuse stores operated by local Habitat for Humanity organizations. They accept donations and sell home improvement items to the public at a fraction of their retail price. To learn more, or to find a store in your area, visit Habitat.org/restores