There are a million different organizations to volunteer with. They range near and far and they can always use extra help when needed. What many people do not know is that there are regulars at each of these organizations who take time out of their week to help these organizations better their local community.
It is because of these volunteers that these organizations can operate as well as they can. With that in mind, Habitat for Humanity SKC would like to recognize John Drapala for all the hard work he has done for the Habitat Stores.
This is his story.
Meet John!
“Each day volunteering at the store can be as different as you want to make it.” John Drapala says, “There are numerous tasks that range from receiving, prepping, cleaning, pricing, putting out donations, helping customers find specific items, and giving suggestions for their remodel projects.”
Looking for a way to give back to the community, John decided to volunteer with his local Habitat affiliate. He recognized the work that Habitat affiliates do for the communities all around the world, and the good faith in which they do it. In Arizona, his brother is involved with the Yuma affiliate which has spurred many conversations about the goodness of Habitat, and inspired him to get involved with our affiliate.
John enjoys being involved in our Habitat stores for many reasons. One of them being that our stores keep the earth green! He actively keeps items from ending up in landfills by helping sort donations, and placing them on the sales floor for customers to purchase. The revenue generated from the items goes directly back into our program to build affordable homes for deserving families.
With his experience in re-modeling houses, John said, “I often get to help a myriad of people, whether it be just helping them find something that they are looking for or giving them advice.”
He takes on his favorite role as “Mr. Fixit,” as he repairs donations to make them usable and sellable.
John’s words of advice to interested volunteers: “come on down! It’s fun and rewarding! The staff and the other volunteers are fun to work with and the customers are almost always grateful when receiving help.”
Thank you, John, for your time, and we’ll see you again on Thursday!