Habitat homes are built affordably with the help of generous donations of materials, whether used in the construction of homes or for our Restore. We appreciate your interest in supporting the mission of decent shelter for all, and ask you to please review our guidelines for non-monetary or donations of materials.

These guidelines are also available as a downloadable file (PDF) for your reference:

Guidelines

To make a non-monetary donation, please call 860-442-7890 press 2, and provide us with the requested information. We are a volunteer staffed organization, so it may take us a few days to get back to you! Thank you for your interest in supporting the families of New London County.

The following is a brief outline of our non-monetary donation guideline.

For Construction:

Donations we are seeking for our construction program

• Appliances that are in excellent condition - typically less than 3 years old.
• Roof shingles and siding in whole house quantities.
• New floor tiles in a minimum of 15 sq. ft.
• New carpetting in a minimum dimension of 12 X12.
• Windows that are double glazed and in excellent condition.
• Doors, cabinets, and plumbing fixtures in excellent condition.
• Tools in excellent condition that are usable in our building program.

Donations we do not accept

• Paint.
• Upholstered furniture.
• Electronics.

For Restore:

Donations we are accepting for the store

• Air Conditioning/Heating

Central and window A/C, furnaces

Fully operational, less than 5 years old

Air registers in good condition - floor, wall, ceiling

• Appliances

Less than 5 years old

Excellent working condition

Clean; slight dents/scratches OK

Include operating manual if available

• Architectural Items

Columns, mantels, stained and leaded glass windows, etc.

• Cabinets, counter tops

Kitchen and bathroom

In sets or individual pieces

Must have all doors, drawers, shelves and hardware

No structural or water damage; mild cosmetic blemishes OK

No built-ins

Counter tops clean with no or minimal damage

• Doors

Excellent condition, no taller than 84"

Pre-hung, slabs, interior, exterior/entry, solid or hollow core

Sliding glass - must have all hardware and tracking

Storm doors - must have all hardware and tracking

Prefer doorknobs removed and bagged to sell separately

• Electrical

Residential items only

Useable fixtures, parts, supplies

Receptacles and switches - new only

Ceiling fans - complete and 100% operational

New incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs

Table and floor lamps - excellent condition only

• Flooring

Sheet vinyl - new, at least 25 sq. ft.

Vinyl tiles - new, at least 25 sq. ft.

T&G wood - min. 2' long, at least 25 sq. ft.

Manufactured, including "engineered" wood and laminate - new, 25 sq. ft. +

Ceramic tile (including wall tile) - new, at least 25 sq. ft.

Carpet - new, minimum 25 sq. ft.

Carpet padding - new, min. 25 sq. ft.

New Rugs of any size

• Furniture

House and patio

Overall excellent condition

No stains, odors, visible upholstery wear or broken parts

Beds, but no mattresses

• Hardware

Door and cabinet hardware, knobs, handles, hinges, lock sets

Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, fasteners, hangers - please no mixed fasteners

No rust

Sorted by type/style/size

• Insulation

All types and R-values - new only, min. 4' lengths

• Lumber/Plywood/Drywall/Trim

Dimensional lumber, including pressure treated - 6 ft. or longer, straight, w/o nails

Plywood/OSB - 1/2 sheet (4'x4') or larger, all thicknesses, no damage

Drywall - 1/2" and 5/8", regular and moisture resistant, 1/2 sheet (4'x4') or larger

Milled lumber/trim - at least 4' lengths

Wood siding - new only, minimum 4' lengths

Decking - any material, min. 25 sq. ft.

• Mirrors/Glass

Mirrors, framed and unframed, good condition

No sheet glass

• Plumbing

Supplies, parts, fittings, PVC/ABS pipe and copper tubing - minimum 4' lengths

Faucets - clean, no corrosion or leaks

Bathroom and kitchen sinks - any material, clean, no stains or visible damage

Toilets - new, low flow only

Tubs/showers - New or excellent condition only

• Roofing Materials

New shingles - full bundles only

New shingles - Full House quantities may be used in our Home Building Program

Roll roofing

Ice/water barrier - any lengths

Roofing paper - min. 1/2 roll

Roofing cement - unopened containers only

Ridge vents

No rain gutters

• Tools

Garden, hand and power tools in good working condition

• Vinyl Siding

New Siding - Only full bundles of same color

New Siding - Full House quantities may be used in our Home Building Program

• Windows

Wood or vinyl, casement or double-hung, double pane only, with all hardware intact

New construction or replacement type

No broken glass or fogging

• Miscellaneous

Concrete, cement, mortar, drywall joint compound - unopened bags/containers

Fencing materials (new)

Free-standing wood stoves

Gold bullion - any quantity

"How-To" books (new and used)

Donations We Do Not Accept:

Acoustic ceiling panels

Books (except "How-To" books)

Bricks, blocks, stone

Clothing

Computers and computer accessories

Console televisions

Exercise equipment

Fencing materials (used)

Fireplace inserts

Garage doors

Hazardous materials (including paint thinner, pesticides, solvents, strippers, etc.)

Luggage

Mattresses

Paint

"Scrap" lumber

Storm windows

Tableware

Wallpaper

Water heaters (unless new)

Window coverings (blinds, drapes)

Note:

HFHSECT appreciates your interest in supporting our program, but does reserve the right to decline the donation of products or materials which do not meet our guidelines.

Planning a Wedding?

Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate your joy?

Your local Habitat for Humanity program has two options for you to share the joy and support affordable housing in your community:

ADD US TO YOUR GIFT REGISTRY.

Now that love has found you, and you have everything else you need, consider suggesting a donation to your local Habitat for Humanity program in lieu of a gift. Just add our link to your registry or wedding website – www.habitatsect.org!

DO US A FAVOR.

Instead of candied almonds, bubbles or other edible favors, make a lasting difference with a donation to Habitat for Humanity from your party favor budget. We will provide you with gift acknowledgement cards that can be placed at each setting.

FOR DETAILS:

www.habitatsect.org or call (860) 442-7890 Thank you for sharing your joy and best wishes for a bright future.

• Brochure
• Gift Card Sample

Building Sites

We need:
1. Buildable lots in residential zones 
2. Single family houses suitable for remodeling
3. Tracts of land not presently residential, but suitable for residential re-zoning and subdivision/development
4. HFHSECT likes to build in neighborhoods rather than doing isolated homes, therefore, we are particularly interested in land/houses in New London, Groton and Norwich neighborhoods where we already have a presence. However, please feel free to contact us about any land donation.

   If you have land you would like to donate, please contact Lee Watrous, Construction Manager, HFHSECT,  860-442-7890

Carpenters Club

"But I'm not a carpenter..." you might say.

Webster's definition of a carpenter is "...one who builds and repairs wooden things, especially buildings."

Habitat's definition of a Carpenters Club member is one who supports the building and repair of simple decent housing for those in need by making a commitment to contribute every month to insure a regular source of funds for building supplies and administrative expenses.

One of the challenges to running a successful Habitat affiliate is to ensure that there is adequate cash flow year round to support building. The average Habitat home costs over $60,000 in building materials and excavation work.

Why you should join the Carpenters Club:

• There are no club meetings.
• There are no club activities.
• There are no secret handshakes.
• There are no bylaws.
• You won't have to wear a funny hat.
• You won't have to join a committee.
• You won't hit your thumb with a hammer.
• You won't have to pass an initiation.
• Your contributions are tax deductible.
• You will help home ownership to become a reality for those who could not otherwise afford to own a home.

By joining the Carpenters Club and committing to regular donations, your support ensures a regular source of funds for building supplies and administrative expenses.

Would you like your donation to be in honor or memory of a special person or occasion?

For every long distance call you make, SBC will donate 5% of your long distance phone bill to your charity of choice, Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern Connecticut. Even if you don’t make a lot of long distance phone calls, every penny counts in raising money to build homes. For your convenience, listed below is the link to register for this program, which has the potential to build at least one home per year in our community. If you are an SBC long distance customer, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take just a moment of your time to register with SNET Community Connections and provide us with funding necessary to build more homes. The link to register is:SNET Community Connections

Under the Community Group Affiliation section, please fill in as follows:
Group Name: Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern CT
Group Number: 3013
City: New London

We thank you for your time and consideration, and hope that you take advantage of the generous offer made by SNET Community Connections. With your help, we can make dreams come true for people in need.