415 8th Ave NE, Brainerd, MN 56401 ^ 218-454-8517

Donate.

Request a Pick-up

Make a difference.

When you donate your gently-used items to the Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore, you are changing lives by making affordable homeownership a reality for a family in your own community! Through the resale of your generous donations, we are able to help fund the construction and repair of homes with Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity.

Not only are you making a difference locally, you’re making a difference globally by preventing household items with plenty of life left from needlessly going to waste in a landfill! In fact, from 2022-2023 Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity diverted over 1,694 tons from the landfill. That’s equivalent to 121 dump truck loads!

Ways to Donate

Items we accept

Donation drop off Lakes Area Habitat

Families are the foundation of what makes us thrive.

There is no better testament to the importance of our work than the stories of the families whose lives have been changed by owning an affordable home. View some of our family stories here.

Your donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, and building materials support Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to build homes, community and hope right in our hometown. All donations to the ReStore are tax-deductible.

All donations must be in excellent physical and working condition whether new or gently used. A free pick-up service is available for items that are hard to transport.

Family Stories

What can I donate?

Donations made to ReStore are tax-deductible and 100% of the proceeds support Habitat’s mission. Plus, you’ll keep good, reusable items out of landfills. Our stores receive your new and gently used donations. Thank you for your support!

Donation Guidelines

Items we accept?

Please see our Accepted Donated Materials document for items you may donate to the ReStore.

Appliances

  • Washers
  • Dryers
  • Refrigerators
  • Freezers
  • Stoves
  • Microwaves
  • Dishwashers
  • Toaster ovens

*Please mark on the back of item if NG or LP

Building Materials

  • Siding
  • Plywood
  • Paneling
  • Sheetrock
  • Insulation
  • Full bundles of shingles

Cabinets

  • Sets or individual pieces
  • Cabinet doors and drawer faces
  • Countertop

Doors

  • Interior
  • Exterior
  • Hollow core

Electrical

  • All supplies
  • Accessories
  • Wire

Flooring

  • Tile (3 boxes or more)
  • Hardwood
  • Laminate

Furniture

  • Couches
  • Table and chair sets
  • Dressers
  • Bed frames
  • TV stands
  • Student desks only

Hardware

  • Hinges
  • Knobs
  • Nails

Household

  • Pictures
  • Decorative mirrors
  • Home decor

HVAC

  • Furnaces
  • Air conditioners
  • Free standing fireplaces
  • Air exchanger

*Please label NG or LP

Lighting

  • Working fixtures
  • Lamps
  • Ceiling fans with brackets

Lumber

  • Trim
  • Dimensional lumber
  • Composite decking
  • Deck boards

Plumbing

  • Stainless steel sinks only
  • Vanities with top
  • Water heaters and misc supplies
  • Walk-in tubs and regular tubs only

Tools

  • Hand and power tools
  • Lawn and garden equipment
  • Tool boxes, etc.

Windows

  • Double pane insulated vinyl or aluminum clad
  • Decorative barn sashes

Items we do not accept.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept broken, stained, inoperable items, or items that violate health and safety regulations. We reserve the right to refuse any donation drop-off or pick-up if it does not meet our donation criteria or standards.

The ReStore does not accept items such as paint, sleeper sofas, metal desks, electronics, mattresses, exercise equipment, clothes, dishes and baby items. Please call the number below to inquire about donating those items.

If you have questions about donating, feel free to give us a call at 218-454-8517.

Furniture at Lakes Area Habitat Restore

Drop your donation off

ReStore accepts drop-off donations of new and gently used items based on our Donation Guidelines. We also accept unused building materials.

 

Shopping Hours:

Tuesday-Friday:
9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Saturday:
9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Donation Hours:

Tuesday-Friday:
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturday:
9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

We are CLOSED on Mondays to allow our staff time to reset the sales floor, process donations, and more.

Holiday Closings

Thursday and Friday, November 28-29: ReStore closed
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24-25: ReStore closed

Ways to donate?

Standard Donation Pick-up

The Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore offers a FREE donation pick-up service for larger items! 

  • No cost, but a gas donation is always welcome
  • Standard pick-ups schedule 1-2 weeks out from request
  • All items must be in a single location on a covered porch/patio, garage, driveway or first floor of the home only
  • Must meet our large item donation pick-up criteria
Request Your Standard Pick-up

Residential pickup request

If you have items to donate that are too large for you to transport yourself, contact us and we will pick it up!

  • Please fill out the pickup request form.
      • You will receive an email or phone call within a few days with our recommended pickup date (generally Monday – Friday).
        ReStore volunteers will load your items and provide a donation receipt, even if you are not on site! We encourage staging items near a garage or curbside whenever possible.
  • Please consider making a tax deductible cash donation to help with fuel and maintenance expenses.
      • A HFH return envelope, along with a tax receipt will be given at the time of pickup for both your in kind and cash donations. You may also donate online here. Thank you for supporting Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity.

We do our best to accommodate timelines, but appreciate as much advanced notice as possible. Due to high demand throughout our 4 county area, we generally average a 7-10 day lead time for donation pickup.

Request Residential Pick-up

Donation Drop-Off

Just have a few items to donate? Lakes Area Habitat has a donation drop-off area with staff and volunteers available to assist you in unloading your items during business hours.

Dos and Don’ts of Drop Offs

Don’t drop items during hours we are closed. This is considered dumping and is illegal. It also means that Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity has to divert funds for home builds to cover the costs of disposal of these items.

Commercial Pickup Request

Are you remodeling your business, clearing out old inventory, or upgrading equipment and looking for a place to donate? We can help! We are a perfect solution for incorrect orders, scratch-and-dents, overstocks, discontinued items, or storeroom clean out!

Have questions? Feel free to give us a call at 218-454-7020.

Deconstruction/Salvage

What is Deconstruction?

Deconstruction, or Salvage, is a service provided by Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity ReStores to carefully remove kitchen cabinets, countertops and appliances, windows, doors, trim, and so much more prior to a remodel. The Deconstruction team completes the removal at no charge with the donation of the items to Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore. 

Because there is no charge and the Salvage team saves homeowners hundreds of dollars in contractor fees, we would be grateful for a donation to be made to Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity.

Deconstruction FAQ's

Claiming your tax deduction.

On top of making a difference, one direct benefit you get from making a donation to a nonprofit is the ability to claim a tax deduction for your donation. But how much can you claim? When donating used items, that can get tricky. Gently used items don’t have price tags anymore, and they lose value as soon as they are used, so you can only claim the resale value.

However, the IRS does not allow nonprofit organizations to set the value of your donation; the donor must assign that value as accurately as possible. So, how much are your donation items actually worth? Visit the IRS website for help with your itemized deductions for items commonly donated to the ReStore. Here are some ways to determine if an organization is accepted by the IRS: