Couples who volunteer together, stay together
Dorothy (Dot) and Dave Penny have always been supporters of Habitat for Humanity. Whether they were on a build site or in a ReStore, they felt that the
mission behind the work is what makes it all worth it. Hear from Dot and Dave as
they share how they ended up at our Williston ReStore, what volunteering as a
couple has done for their relationship, and what it means to be part of the team at
Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity.
Q: What first inspired you to start volunteering at ReStore, and what made you
decide to do it together?
A: After we retired, we traveled in our motorhome and spent several weeks
volunteering at Habitat builds in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Canada. We
believe in Habitat’s mission and enjoy being a part of building homes. When we
moved to Vermont during the pandemic, we immediately noticed the Restore and
would stop by a couple of times a week. The idea of being able to continue to
contribute to Habitat for Humanity through volunteering appealed to both of us. We
are strongly committed to helping the environment by keeping items out of the
landfill and helping people make home goods more affordable. We have loved
working together throughout most of our 53 years of marriage.
Q: You’ve been volunteering here for some time. What keeps you coming
back?
A: We’ve been at ReStore for about 4 1/2 years. There are several reasons we keep
coming back. The first reason is that we love the people we work with. The fellow
volunteers are kind, fun, thoughtful, and dedicated. We enjoy supporting the goals
of Habitat and are amazed at the generous donations given to the store to help
build homes for others. Every day is a surprise, and you never know what you may
find, and, as a volunteer, you often get first dibs on whatever comes into the store.
Volunteering at Restore is “dangerous” as you never know what treasure you didn’t
know you wanted you will find and end up buying to bring home!
Q: Is there a moment/interaction at the ReStore that really stuck with you or
reminded you why this work matters?
A: Dave had an interaction with an Amish man who was looking for old clocks and
was thrilled to buy several that had been sitting in the back room. It felt good to
know the clocks would be given a new life. I was amazed to watch our foster
daughter fill up a cart with clothing, dishes, toys, and linens when she came up from
Boston to visit. It was the first time we realized how much she does for her family in
Africa. She ships basic needs to her mother and siblings at least once a year in a
shipping container. She was thrilled to find good quality merchandise at affordable
prices.
Q: Has volunteering together taught you anything new about each other?
A: While we volunteer together, most of our hours in the store are apart. David
works on electronics, where he loves bringing quality appliances back to life. I work
on the store floor organizing, talking to customers, and cleaning. I love interacting
with other volunteers, staff, and customers while targeting sections of the store
that need the most organization. We each do what we enjoy most and are
dedicated to helping the store be as successful as possible, but grateful to have the
freedom to make our own hours.
Q: How would you try to convince a couple who are looking for meaningful
ways to spend time together to try ReStore?
A: We have different experiences each day, and when we go home, we share them
and enjoy hearing what each other learned while working. We each do our own
things while working for a wonderful common cause. It’s good for us to get out of
the house and feel like we are doing something useful.
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering on our build sites, please visit vermonthabitat.org/volunteer or reach out to our Volunteer Manager, Caitlyn Conibear: cconibear@vermonthabitat.org.
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