Press release:
Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity Partners with Dynamite Roasting Co. to Ensure More Healthy Homes
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (October 19, 2017) – The Habitat ReStore at 31 Meadow Road will soon be selling Guatemalan roast coffee from Dynamite Roasting Co. – by the cup and the bag. Other area retailers will also sell the bagged coffee, which will be available in mid-late November, just in time for holiday gift giving.
Proceeds from the sale of this coffee will go to Habitat for Humanity Guatemala for the installation of Healthy Home Kits (smokeless stoves, sanitary latrines, and water filters) in the homes of Guatemalan coffee farmers. “Selling coffee that directly helps ensure Guatemalan coffee farmers have a decent and healthy home, brings our work full circle,” said Scott Stetson, ReStore General Manager.
“Our farmer friends work so hard to provide us with coffee crops of exceptional quality. When they and their families are healthy, communities grow stronger in their region- and in ours. A healthy farmer makes the world healthier in countless ways. This partnership between Dynamite Roasting Co. and Habitat for Humanity is direct action with immediate results. We are thrilled to put this positive plan into motion,” said Josh Gibbs, co-owner Dynamite Roasting Co.
Speaking of Guatemala, a team of 12 Asheville Habitat volunteers are leaving for Guatemala this weekend to help install Healthy Home Kits. To support this endeavor, the ReStore’s “Register Round Up” program is being directed to Habitat Guatemala during the month of October. Customers can choose to “round up” their purchase to the nearest dollar. For example, if your purchase totals $9.60, you can round up to $10 and the 40 cents will be donated. “Its small change that adds up and makes a big impact,” said Asheville Habitat staffer and trip leader, Joel Johnson. “For example, the cost of a smokeless stove is only $100 USD, but it will change the lives of Guatemalan women and children dramatically. Most have severe respiratory illness because they are not cooking or heating with proper ventilation.”
Makenzie Brown, Habitat Guatemala Donor Relations Officer added, “We are grateful for our partnership with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. It is because of such support that we are able to work alongside Guatemalan families, and together, improve their quality of life.
Today, 46% of Guatemalans use an inadequate latrine or no sanitary services at all, 95% of the water in Guatemala is contaminated, and 52% of Guatemalans suffer from respiratory disease. It is our hope that with each Healthy Home Kit, a family will make a small change that will have a big impact in their home.”
Proceeds from the ReStore have been supporting Asheville Habitat’s building programs since 1990, when the resale shop (then known as the Habitat Home Store) first opened its doors on Biltmore Avenue. Supporting a sister affiliate in Guatemala through the sale of coffee, is another way the ReStore supports Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
About the Asheville Habitat ReStore
The ReStore sells donated items to the general public. Proceeds from ReStore sales help fund Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s building programs and cover administrative and fundraising expenses. Along with Habitat homeowner mortgage payments, the ReStore represents a sustainable funding source for the non-profit. Furthermore, the ReStore provides the community with a source for affordable home improvement items and it diverts 1,690 tons of usable material from the landfill each year. For more information, please call the Habitat ReStore at 828.254.6706 or visit ashevillehabitat.org/ReStoreAbout Dynamite Roasting Co.
Dynamite Roasting Co. is committed to their customers, their growers, the environment, and to each other. Their mission is to track down the best coffee – 100% certified organic and fair trade – in the world. They work closely with partners and growers to ensure the very best quality beans at a great price for customers. They’ve also made a conscious decision to concentrate on serving the local community and solidifying reliable and speedy shipping to wholesale customers in the southeastern region of the country. Concentrating on the immediate community, as well as other dedicated customers in the southeast, allows them to roast in small batches, ensuring Dynamite Roasting coffee is always fresh, from farm to cup.About Habitat Guatemala
Habitat for Humanity Guatemala is a non-profit organization that helps low–income families improve their living conditions by building new homes and housing communities, stabilizing and improving existing houses, and offering affordable housing solutions such as smokeless stoves, water filters and basic sanitation services. Our vision is that all families in Guatemala inhabit an adequate home. Since 1979, Habitat Guatemala has provided over 85,000 housing solutions for over 350,000 people and will build its 100,000th housing solution in April 2018. Learn more at habitatguate.org/eng.
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