Building houses, starting with the garage

Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County is launching its first fund-raiser to help address an ongoing housing shortage, exacerbated by the devastating Echo Mountain Complex fire, which destroyed nearly 300 homes near Lincoln City.

Habitat will be pulling up the garage doors at 831 NE 3rd Street in Newport on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 8 am to 2 pm, to unveil a huge collection of treasures for holiday shoppers and collectors.

“We have so many amazing items, it would have been impossible to price every single one,” said Executive Director Lucinda Taylor. “So, we’re asking each shopper to make a generous donation to Habitat in order to gain entry. Then, once you’ve made a donation of any amount, come in and take whatever you want. We thought this would be a great way to share the holiday spirit while generating funds for two home builds in Lincoln City.”

Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions. All proceeds will go to fund new homes in the Garden Estates neighborhood, with construction scheduled to begin in Spring 2021.

The garage sale inventory includes: Christmas and Easter decorations, vintage men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, dishes, stemware, office supplies, small appliances, artwork and posters, vintage children’s toys and craft supplies.  Many of the items available, like men’s designer shirts, have never been used and are still in their original packaging. Niche collectors will score valuable finds and Christmas shoppers will enjoy one-stop shopping of decorations, wrapping paper and gifts galore.

Habitat’s ongoing fundraiser, Coins for Construction, will have a bucket available so shoppers can bring jars of spare change to gain entry to the garage sale.

“It’s tough for all non-profits right now,” said Habitat Vice President Holly Romero. “But everyone has a big jar of spare change at home. By donating that change, they get to help build safe, affordable housing in this community as well as put much-needed coins back in circulation.”

Buckets are also available for coin drop-off at the two Habitat ReStores; in Newport at 134 E. Olive Street, and in Lincoln City at 2150 SE Highway 101.

For more information or to help support the mission, contact Lucinda Taylor at director@habitatlincoln.org or 541-351-8078.