Habitat for Humanity’s Estevan committee is currently in the midst of a couple of fundraisers to support its latest build.
The first is a 50-50 draw that it is doing with EchoLotto. Ticket sales started on June 1, and will close at 3 p.m. on June 29.
Tickets cost $10 each, and there is a maximum of 10,000 tickets to be sold. The winner will take home 50 per cent of the jackpot, with the maximum prize of $50,000.
With previous raffles, people asked Habitat for Humanity if credit cards could be used to purchase tickets; typically sales were cash only. But this 50-50 does have a credit card option.
Ticket sales started slow, but they typically pick up just before the draw date. The Habitat committee has been reaching out to people who have supported them in the past.
More information can be found on the Habitat Estevan website and Facebook pages.
An online auction is now underway as well. It started on June 16 and will close on June 29. All 34 items have a different close time that day; the closing time for each item can be found on the Habitat website.
“There’s merchandise and gift cards and crafts, and the value of all of the items is in excess of $10,000,” said local committee chair Doug Barnstable. “So, there’s some good options for people to get some good buys, and some unique gifts out there.”
A credit card will be required to purchase items through the auction, and people will have to register prior to bidding. Proxy bidding is allowed, in which someone would submit a maximum amount for a particular item.
“It will automatically do an incremental bid on the last bid, until they reach their proxy limit, and then they’ll be advised that they’ve reached that limit,” said Barnstable.
Among the items available will be a drone, golf packages, a fire pit ring and a queen-sized mattress and box spring.
The auction can be found on the Habitat website and Facebook page, or on auctions.goldenwest.ca.
Proceeds from the auction will be used for the third home build for Habitat for Humanity in Estevan. A vacant lot was donated to Habitat at the intersection of King Street and Hillcrest Drive to accommodate the home.
Fundraising efforts for the current build have been progressing steadily. Committee members have been talking to those involved with the previous builds. Several individuals and businesses have stepped up to say they would be involved again with gifts in kind and cash donations.
The donation of the property was a big boost, because the committee won’t have to purchase land.
“Both of our other builds, we always had a single donor that was in the $50,000 range that had an impact on our fundraising, and this lot donation has obviously provided us with that,” said Barnstable.
He estimates the committee still needs to raise another $185,000 in gifts in kind and cash.
The provincial and federal governments have stepped forward with grants to the local chapter in the past.
The committee hopes to select its partner family in early 2022, and then start construction in the middle of next year.
One issue the committee is monitoring is the cost of lumber and other building materials, which soared in the past few months. They’re concerned about the overall price of the home.
“We’ll be watching that closely and that may have some impact on our actual build time or opportunity,” said Barnstable.
The committee is also looking for people who might be interested in being involved with Habitat on the construction side. They can email him at dbarnstable@sasktel.net.
