By Charlie Allis, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern
Every donation to the Sheboygan ReStore has a story, from the moment it leaves a home to the moment it finds a new one. Each item plays a meaningful role in supporting our mission of providing safe, affordable, and stable housing to Sheboygan County.

Recently, a Sheboygan family that had decided to remodel their home donated several truckloads of items, including nearly new kitchen cabinetry, refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines, to the ReStore. Family members said they decided before the remodeling to donate their items to the ReStore.

ReStore employees picked up the donations to help the family and to ensure that everything made it safely to the ReStore. Once items arrived at the ReStore, they were carefully evaluated, priced, and prepared for sale, allowing each item to begin a new chapter with a new owner.

One new owner is Rhonda, a ReStore customer who purchased a vanity donated by the family. Rhonda and her family are renovating their own home and plan to purchase gently used items whenever possible. Rhonda said she liked the vanity’s rustic look, which fits well with her design concept for her home. At $150, the vanity, which came fully loaded with a faucet, cost a fraction of what a similar item would have cost new.

In short, what begins as an item once new, once loved, and no longer needed in one household becomes a valuable resource for another. This cycle of reuse ensures that top-quality materials continue to serve a purpose.

The impact of each ReStore sale goes beyond the transaction itself. Revenue generated from donated goods supports all of Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s programs, helping families achieve safe, stable, and affordable housing. Every purchase made in the ReStore contributes directly to home builds, repairs, and community initiatives. Every donation helps keep the store filled and prevents perfectly usable items from ending up in the landfill.

ReStore gladly accepts donations of gently used items. “Make sure to check what we accept and be honest about the condition of it before donating,” says John Cassabaum, Sheboygan ReStore’s pickup ambassador. He also suggests that those who opt for a pickup (rather than dropping off items during store hours) post photos of the items to be donated. “That makes the pickup process more efficient,” John says.

This family that donated the high-end cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances to Sheboygan ReStore didn’t have to do so. They could have had their contract demo the kitchen and cart the items away. Donating to the ReStore required an extra step from the family. Their generosity will make a difference long after their items have left the home.

ReStore shopper Rhonda and her new vanity

By Penny Rayfield, Habitat Lakeside family services manager

Partnering with Habitat Lakeside to become a homeowner is a transformative journey that can lead to creating generational wealth. While many believe the organization simply gives away houses, the reality is that the partnership is designed to set families up for long-term financial success.

Far from winning the lottery, prospective home buyers must be qualified and they must apply for the program. Here are 10 things to know about our homebuyer program.

1. You must live or work in Sheboygan County for at least six months and meet minimum and maximum income guidelines.
   
   
2. While there are national guidelines, Habitat operates through local affiliates. Each affiliate may have slightly different income limits based on their specific Area Median Income (AMI) and local housing costs. Sheboygan County income guidelines are shown below, to qualify your annual household income should fall within the guidelines in this chart.
   
   
3. The selection process is based on three core criteria; need, ability to pay and willingness to partner.
   
   Need for housing: Living in substandard, overcrowded, or unaffordable conditions.
   
   Ability to pay: Having a stable income to cover a monthly mortgage. 
   
   Willingness to partner: Committing to the program’s unique requirements. Instead of a large cash down payment, time is your investment. This typically involves 250 hours of volunteering for individual applicants and 400 total hours of volunteering for joint applicants. Partner families help build their own home, work on other Habitat projects, or volunteer at the Sheboygan ReStore.
   
   
4. All future homeowners must complete financial education courses covering budgeting, credit management, and home maintenance. The classes count towards the required volunteer hours, are designed to prepare partner families for the financial responsibilities of home ownership and provide lifelong skills.
   
   
5. Habitat homes do not negatively affect their surrounding neighborhood. Upon completion, the home is appraised, then sold to the partner family at market value. The total monthly mortgage payment (including taxes and insurance) does not exceed 27 percent of the applicant’s gross monthly income creating affordability.
   
   
6. You don't need a high credit score to apply. Habitat often looks at credit history over scores, focusing on whether you are currently paying bills on time and if you have recent bankruptcies or excessive collections.
   
   
7. You become a community ambassador when you buy a Habitat Lakeside home. Future homeowner families represent Habitat in their community. This might include sharing their stories at events or participating in media interviews to help the organization create awareness and raise funds for more homes.
   
   
8. Homes are built for sustainability and designed to be energy efficient, which keeps long-term utility costs low for the homeowner. Habitat Lakeside homes meet ENERGY STAR standards, meaning lower ongoing heating, cooling, and electrical expenses.
   
   
9. The process takes time, from the initial application, through the selection process and then to the day you move in, typically takes 12 to 18 months. It requires patience and a significant time commitment to complete all the program milestones.
   
   
10. Habitat homes are not custom built; the size of the home is based on family size and location is based on available land. As a future homeowner you do have the opportunity to choose your exterior colors, flooring, cabinet, and countertop colors. The homes come with donated new appliances, which is a great upfront cost savings for a home buyer.

 
There are various requirements to being a Habitat Lakeside homeowner, but the rewards outweigh the work involved. Habitat homeowners often report improved health and fewer environmental hazards, better educational outcomes for children, and the ability to build savings and family wealth through equity and energy‑efficient living.

A Habitat home provides an affordable, stable mortgage, support, training, and coaching, lower upfront costs, a community‑oriented homebuilding experience, energy‑efficient, newly built housing, and a lifelong partnership with Habitat Lakeside.

ReStore volunteer Karen (left) and Habitat Lakeside home buyer Kewanna at the Sheboygan ReStore.

By Wayne Casper
The week I spent back in March of 1992, working with my Sargento crew of about 15 fellow employees, was one of the fondest memories of my Sargento career.

From March 30 to April 3, the 16 of us worked with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity to build what I believe were the first two Habitat houses in the state of Wisconsin. The two homes were near Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. The eventual owners worked side by side with us on the homes. While I had no previous construction experience, I was taught how to frame windows with aluminum siding stock. After a little trial and error, I got the hang of it with satisfactory results. Apparently, my Habitat trainer found me trainable.

During the project I stayed at the old Astor hotel on Milwaukee’s East Side. I remember falling asleep was easy after eight hours of work each day at the Habitat sites.

Over the course of the five days that we worked on the two houses, we got involved in several facets of new home construction. I remember measuring boards that were called for (measure twice, cut once), helping to frame the house with board, hammer and nail, and doing a lot of running around delivering boards and stuff to various people on the site who knew a lot more than I did about what was going on. The Habitat crew leaders were very friendly and helpful, and after a few days of working with us, they figured out where our strengths and weaknesses were in the realm of home construction.

I excelled most at running materials to those who were most experienced — it wasn’t their first rodeo.

The camaraderie at the work site was outstanding. The Habitat leaders, my fellow Sargento employees, and the two homes’ prospective owners all meshed well together as they focused on a common purpose: Building new homes and creating the American Dream.

The interesting thing was that I thought I would have lost weight after five six- to eight-hour days at the Habitat job sites. I gained four pounds, thanks to plenty of snacks and meals on the build site and very nice meals at Milwaukee restaurants in the evening.

I only worked on one Habitat project for an awesome reason: Sargento rotated the experience among other employees on future build involvements so that more people got a chance to experience building a Habitat for Humanity House. It takes a great company like Sargento to get many of their employees involved in a worthwhile endeavor like this. For this and other reasons, I will always treasure my 12 years at Sargento.

All in all, this was an unforgettable experience and provided wonderful memories of working for the Habitat organization. I recommend this experience to everyone.

Habitat Lakeside would love construction volunteers! For more information, please contact Penny Rayfield, our volunteer services manager: [email protected]
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Wayne Casper is a retired executive vice president of sales, marketing, and new product development at Sargento. At the time of his Habitat experience, he was vice president of new product development. 

By Michelle Schulz
I was standing in this beautiful museum, surrounded by Habitat for Humanity affiliates from all over the country. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I was surrounded by 500 people, all dressed in their best. And I had to ask myself: how did I get here? 

When I started, I had almost nothing. I was a single mother to two children, with the toughest decade of my life still fresh in my mind, and I was on a mission to rebuild my life. And now here I was, surrounded by nothing but good. 

I was attending the 2026 Habitat on the Hill, a Habitat for Humanity International legislative and advocacy conference held annually in Washington, D.C. The four days at the conference, spent meeting other Habitat-minded people, ended up becoming such a defining moment in my journey. It started with a solo plane ride to Washington, D.C., and I hadn’t flown in 25 years.

As soon as I touched down, I got to the hotel and started meeting people. It was like having a piece of home right in our nation’s capital. I was among people who had the same hopes as I did for affordable living and affordable housing. We were all gathered in one place with the same mission. We attended workshops. We talked about the issues that families are facing today. And groups of people went to the Capitol to speak to lawmakers about the steps we could take so more people could achieve that American dream of living in a home they could call their own. 

My favorite moment was meeting another homeowner, Doris, who had gotten her home at the same exact time as I did about eight years ago. It was so great to hear how our journeys aligned; it was as though we were on the same path, both directed to that meeting. She’s now a council member in her city, and she works for Habitat. Doris is proof that this program can work wonders in so many beautiful ways.

My attendance at Habitat on the Hill reminded me that your story matters, no matter where you’re from or what your story might be.

I also had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. I let him know I was a homeowner, and he let me know how important it was that I was there, and that I was sharing my journey.
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If I’m ever offered the opportunity again, I would take it in a heartbeat. Nothing compares to spending time with people who feel like home and who are on the same exact mission as I am. I know where I started and I know where I am and I can’t wait to see the rest of my journey with Habitat for Humanity unfold.
 
Michelle Schulz (left) with Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, and Jacob Boyer, Habitat Lakeside board member.