Special to The Dorchester Banner/Habitat Choptank
A kitchen renovation in the church hall of Old Trinity Church is supporting Habitat Choptank’s affordable housing mission. Here from left, church volunteers David Hastings and Debbie Roe along with ReStore team members Nathan Kish and Sylvester Williams take a break from loading items onto the ReStore truck.[/caption] CHURCH CREEK — A remodel project in the church hall of the Old Trinity Church is helping to support affordable homeownership in the Choptank region. Old Trinity has been welcoming seekers for over 300 years. The church itself, which sits on Church Creek, was built by English colonists in 1675. Today, its grounds include a church hall with a fully equipped kitchen that is rented out to support community outreach projects. Plans are underway to renovate the kitchen including removing cabinets and countertops.  Recognizing that those items might still be serviceable for someone else, the church is donating them to the Habitat Choptank ReStore. ReStores are resale outlets run by local Habitat affiliates that accept donated home improvement goods and furniture. These donated items are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price to help the affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities. The Habitat Choptank ReStore is in the process of opening its store at a new location on Commerce Drive in Easton. While the store is not yet ready for shoppers, it continues to accept donations. The ReStore truck can be scheduled in advance for larger donations; drop-off donations are also accepted but on a limited schedule until the store reopens. Since 1992, Habitat Choptank has empowered 64 working households from Talbot and Dorchester counties to build a better future for themselves through homeownership. Each homebuyer contributed 300-400 hours of “sweat equity” in the building of those houses and purchased their home with a 20 to 30-year no-interest Habitat mortgage. Currently, three families are working through Habitat’s multi-step program toward the goal of becoming successful homeowners. For information about home ownership, to volunteer with Habitat Choptank or to make a donation, visit www.habitatchoptank.org or call 410-476-3204.