Materials Matter Featured on PBS Special On Green Businesses
Can green jobs be the engine of recovery from the economic meltdown? PBS' show NOW features Materials Matter as a social enterprise answering that question. The show highlights how common building materials represent an opportunity to create jobs, help the needy, and save the planet.
This is the first national exposure for Materials Matter, so we are very excited! You can read more about it and even see the show online by clicking on the link below:
Watch the PBS NOW episode
Home Improvmement Outlet Moves To Laguna Hills in Orange County
We have finally found a new location! It's just off the 5 Freeway at El Toro Road on Ave. de la Carlota on "Furniture Row." The merchandise is still be moved in and displays are being set up, be we are open to the public seven days a week from 10am to 7pm. Visit our Home Improvmenet Outlet Page to read more and to get directions!
Home Improvement Outlet
Materials Matter's Struggle to Find New Home Highlighted in Orange County Register
"As stocks and home values tumble, residents across the southland are scrambling for new ways to save money.
Enter Materials Matter. The nonprofit store, founded by Ladera couple Alison Riback and Jason McKinstry in 2005, provides low-cost home-improvement materials to customers looking for a bargain. Everything from mattresses and kitchen cabinets to office furniture and spray paint is available for 50 to 80 percent less than retail.
Until Sept. 8, Materials Matter was a self-sustaining enterprise: Manufacturers, and in some cases, hotels, would donate materials they no longer needed to the nonprofit. Low-income customers would come to the warehouse in Corona to buy needed items – to repair leaky roofs or toilets – at a huge discount in comparison to stores like Home Depot. The money raised would cover operational costs, so the organization could donate other items to nonprofits like HomeAid and Habitat for Humanity for their construction efforts.
But a wrench was thrown into Riback and McKinstry's carefully-orchestrated business plan when they were advised to vacate the store in order to protect their valuable materials...." (Click below to read more!)
Read More Of The Orange County Register Article
New PBS NOW Blog Post Emphasizes the Importance of Materials Reuse
Ever wondered what happens to that water bottle after you drop it in the recycling bin? Or how materials reuse can have an impact on the great big cycle of consumption in the United States and around the world? Read an article entitle "Why Reuse Trumps Recycling and Why Reduce Trumps 'Em Both" written by Materials Matter Board President Scott Gordon.
Why Reuse Trumps Recycling and Why Reduce Trumps 'Em Both
Habitat for Humanity of Los Angeles Completes 30 "Jimmy Carter Work Project" Homes WIth Help of Materials Matter and Other Donors
Last fall Materials Matter was honored to be a major donor for the Jimmy Carter Work Project, an effort to "blitz- build" 30 homes in Los Angeles and raise awareness about the need for affordable housing. This week Habitat for Humanity of Los Angeles is celebrating the completion of those homes as the 30 chosen partner families get not just the keys to their new front doors, but a new lease on life.
Materials Matter Wins National PBS "Project Enterprise" Contest!
Thanks to all of you who voted for us, Materials Matter won the Project Enterprise contest by a landslide! We are so grateful to have your support. What did we win? Bragging rights for starters. And some national press attention for the next year. Follow along by reading our featured blog on the PBS "NOW" website that will give everyone an inside look at what it really takes to run a social enterprise. Alison and Jason will be chronicling their heartaches and headaches as well as their celebrations and acheivements. We promise to keep it interesting as we grow our enterpise in 2008! We couldn't have done it without you!
Materials Matter Home Improvement Outlet Featured on Fox 11 News Good Day LA
Decked out in a tool belt and bright yellow construction hat, Good Day LA's very own Rick Lozano broadcast live from our Home Improvement Outlet in Corona this morning on Fox 11. We are excited and honored to have our store and the work its sale proceeds supports highlighted by our favorite morning news program. Our store is now buzzing with new customers, eager to do some "feel good" shopping for home improvement merchandise at incredibly low prices. Check out the video by clicking here. Thanks to all of you who have come out to shop and support us after seeing this story!
We Need Your Votes To Win PBS Nonprofit Contest!
From over 100 worthy nominees, Materials Matter has been chosen as a finalist for the Project Enterprise Contest, sponsored by PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund and the Skoll Foundation. The winner is chosen by YOUR votes. A production crew will chronicle the winning up-and-coming social entrepreneur as she or he works to get a project off the ground. In our case that's Jason McKinstry and Alison Riback. They will videotape the winner, launch a winner's blog, and post the winner's podcast interviews — all in an effort to offer an inside look at what it means to be a social entrepreneur just starting out. Jason, Alison and the whole crew here at Materials Matter need your vote and your help spreading the word! Please take a moment to visit the voting page. You can vote as many times as you want, so please visit frequently and send your friends!
Our Deconstruction and Recycling Program Featured in Coast Magazine
Orange County 's Coast Magazine wrote a feature called "Waste Not, Want Not" on our Deconstruction and Recycling Program and all we do to promote conservation through materials recycling. The article highlights the exciting work we have done out at the former El Toro Marine Base, salvaging buildings parts and equipment before demolition and eventual redevelopment.
Download the article as a word document here
Materials Matter and the Home Improvement Outlet Featured on KRLA Radio
Materials Matter's President Jason McKinstry and Vice President Alison Riback were interviewed on "Home Wizards with Cindy Dole" on KRLA radio. You can listen to the interview by following the link below to the Home Wizards home page and looking for the segment "Great Place To Shop While Helping Others In Need."
Materials Matter Featured in the Business Press
Materials Matter was featured in Monday, July 16th’s issue of The Business Press. The article highlighted Materials Matter’s efforts to reduce the cost of building materials for nonprofits with our bulk purchasing program. Read the full article here:
http://www.thebizpress.com/profiles/stories/BP_News_Local_D_bp70716_profile.127c7db.html
Home Improvement Outlet Anniversary 50% Off Sale Huge Success
Our annual anniversary blow out and 50% Off Sale at the Home Improvement Outlet was a smashing success. Hundreds of bargain hunters showed up early to sip coffee and be the first to get the best deals in the store! Lines lasted well into the afternoon, while shoppers enjoyed shaved ice and patiently waited to get unheard of savings. All proceeds from the sale will support the programs of Materials Matter, which supplies free and low-cost materials to other nonprofits building their communities. Thank you to all the loyal customers who showed up to shop in the summer heat! Your purchases make all the difference!
We also want to thank the group of fantastic kids who volunteered with Sunkist Lemonade “Take A Stand” project, selling ice cold lemonade to raise money for Materials Matter and give back to their community. You guys did a great job!
View Photos
Corona Store Turned into Turtle Island for Family Fun Pirate Party Event
Over 60 kids showed up to celebrate at our Family Fun Pirate Party on Thursday, July 12th, including a bus load from the local Corona YMCA. The kids enjoyed making treasure chests, wearing eye patches, rings, necklaces and other “pirate booty,” and having their faces painted by a real pirate! Thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success.
View Photos
Materials Matter On KCAA Radio
Materials Matter’s President Jason McKinstry was interviewed by the folks at KCAA radio on Thursday, July 12th. Download the show’s podcast and listen here:
Materials Matter in Southern California Home & Outdoor Magazine
Check out the July issue of Southern California Home & Outdoor magazine to read an article called “Recycler’s Dream.” It’s all about finding home improvement bargains through discount and salvage retailers, and the Materials Matter Home Improvement Outlet in Corona is listed as one of the best places to find home improvement treasures at low prices. The article is a great resource for all do-it-yourselfers. Southern California Home & Outdoor magazine is free, and can be picked up at bookstores and magazine retailers across the region.
Materials Matter Featured in California Contractor Magazine
Read our feature article on page 22 in the July 2007 issue of California Contractor Magazine. The article highlights Materials Matter’s work with builders and contractors to secure donated materials.
Materials Matter, Serving All California Nonprofits, Launches Website To Celebrate Name Change
Materials Matter, a multi-faceted nonprofit organization, today announced an official corporate name change and corresponding website: www.materialsmatter.org. The new name was selected to represent the organizations mission more effectively: helping all nonprofit organizations gain access to low and no-cost building supplies.
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