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Odyssey clients planting goodwill in the community
Odyssey House Auckland clients are giving back to the community and learning new skills by building planter boxes for international housing charity Habitat for Humanity.
The partnership between the two organisations enables Odyssey clients to help provide much-needed funds for Habitat for Humanity’s low-cost housing projects, according to Odyssey House Auckland CEO Phil Grady.
“Basically our clients turn the raw materials supplied by Habitat for Humanity into lovely planter boxes that get sold for a profit. It’s a real win-win situation that gives our clients great satisfaction and enables Habitat to get on with the job,” he says.
Habitat for Humanity builds, renovates, and sells low-cost houses with the aim of eliminating sub-standard housing in New Zealand and around the world. The organisation also sells building materials and homeware such as the planter boxes through its ReStore retail shop at 8 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki.
“We took delivery of Odyssey’s first batch of planters just before Christmas and they went straight out the door,” says Habitat for Humanity Resource and Development Manager Conrad LaPointe.
“We rely on volunteers to keep Habitat for Humanity working so we’re over the moon about how well it’s working.
“Each box costs around $15 in materials but retails for $35. Right now the boxes that Odyssey clients are making for us are bringing in about $500 per month – that’s a significant contribution to our funding.
“We’re very proud to partner with Odyssey House, one of New Zealand’s foremost addiction treatment providers, and we expect it to be the start of a long and fruitful relationship.”
For more information go to www.habitat.org.nz.
