A Project of Sustainable Community Initiatives / 34,000 sq. ft. of Low Cost Building Materials!
We stock Alco appliances!
Visit the Warehouse
and See What's New!


4671 Tanglewood Drive
Hyattsville, MD 20781
301.985.5180

Click here for directions

Hours: Wednesday 12-7
Thurs-Sat  9-5

Seeking HELP!
Our Business & Development Director is organizing a diverse group of volunteers to help with making Community Forklift run even better!!  Looking for folks who have a variety of skills and who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done!

Seeking:
* Phone system installer
* Administrative skills
* Organization skills
* Research and/or writing skills
* Fund raising know how
* And general go getter skills

First meeting will be in April 2009 - Time and date to be announced.

Please send an email to [email protected] or call at 202-236-4071 if you are interested!

Nancy

I can't promise you won't get your hands dirty but I can guarantee that you'll have a good time!


MEET A VOLUNTEER:
Dave Roeder,
Volunteer Lighting

Dave

Bea: How long have you volunteered at Community Forklift, and what originally brought you here?
Dave: I've volunteered here for about two years now.  I originally came to the Forklift because I was donating, then later as a customer, and then I started volunteering because I liked being around there.  I've worked in most sections of the store (the toilet aisle, hardware, really everywhere) but one day I found a big box of old lamp parts and started thinking "what can I make with all these?"

I realized that if an old light came in the Forklift could sell it for maybe $30, but if I took the lamp home and polished and rewired it, it would be a great thing for the Forklift to be able to sell more for it.  So I started working exclusively in the lighting aisle.

I work in an office 5 days a week, so volunteering at the Forklift is like a total get-away for me!!  I can leave my problems at the door and not have to worry about anything.  It's great!

B: How did you get interested in antique lighting?
D: I've always been interested in antiques. For lighting, it was when I was working restoring old houses.  There's a quality of light that you can't get with new fixtures, so if you want to restore a historic house to have an authentic feel it's best to install the older fixtures.

B: What neat things have you bought at CF over the years--is there one item that sticks out to you as being a particularly terrific find?
D: Hard question, I've bought so many things at the Forklift!  I would say maybe the best thing I've gotten was a big pile of old cedar shingles that we used to side a garden shed--it looks 100 years old, really cool!  I discovered Community Forklift halfway through constructing the shed, and after that all the materials going into it came from you guys!

Dave can often be found volunteering at CF on Saturday mornings in the lighting aisle.  He is not an electrician by trade--he considers himself a self-taught amateur!

He'll be facilitating the workshop on Sunday April 26, How to rewire a simple light fixture.

To sign up for his workshop, please email Bea at
[email protected]

Join former Community Forklift intern/volunteer in a celebration of Earth Day in Fairfax, VA!

Luci will be hosting a salvage art exhibit in downtown Fairfax in conjunction with the Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival, one of the largest arts festivals in the northern Virginia area. She is currently looking for more artists to join the ranks of 5 other talented salvage artists.  If you have used your Community Forklift found treasures to create pieces of art and would be interested in displaying them at this exhibit, please contact Luci directly!  If you're interested in seeing creative uses for found items, stop by the exhibit to show your support! Exhibit will also include information on recycling and reuse, interactive activities for all ages, and organic, fair-trade coffee samples. The exhibit is free to attend. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, April 22
The Firehouse Grill (Upstairs)
3988 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
6-10pm

To exhibit your creations, contact Luci at 703-653-4032, or [email protected]

stained glass
One piece of art Luci made from a CF window, on display in our warehouse!


tool sale

TOOL SALE A SUCCESS!
Extra thanks go to CF Volunteer Dave North, who brought in treats to share for the semi-annual tool sale last Saturday!

 tool sale
April Sales!

Colored Paint Sale!
$0.50 / quart
$2 / gallon
$10 / five-gallon bucket

Sale does not include stain, white or off-white paint, sealant, adhesive, American Pride paint in the Nature Neutral section, or paint cans without a pricetag.

 
75% off all rectangular fixed windows!
Windows must have an existing Forklift price tag to qualify for the sale.  Sale does not include casement, sliders, double-hung, specialty shapes or frosting; or antique, stained, pebbled, or painted glass windows.
 
25% off all Lighting!
25% off the marked price on all surplus and salvaged lights, including chandeliers and sconces of all sizes.

50% off Toilets!
Take half off all tanks, bowls, lids, and complete toilets marked $35 or below. 
 
We hate to have to say this, but.
don't bother scratching price tags off!  
Any item without a price tag
is not eligible for the April sale.
 

CF's Monthly
Workshop Series!

Once a Month, Sundays at 2pm
Class size is limited, please RSVP to reserve a spot!

April 26: How to rewire a simple light fixture, facilitated by CF volunteer Dave Roeder (see his profile to the left!)

May 10:  How to diagnose and repair a leaky water wasting toilet, taught by Plumber YB Leaky

Limited Space
Pre-Registration and Pre-payment Required

$15 per person workshop fee
($17 if using Paypal to cover their fee)

Click here to sign up, and for more details!

If you or someone you know would like to facilitate a workshop teaching some aspect of working with reused materials, please contact Bea Trickett at [email protected]

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

"I like getting first dibs on the good stuff when I take in donations!"


"Our society throws everything away - but I help keep nice things out of the landfill."

"I like hanging out with all the characters at the store."

"I'm learning a lot about home improvement."

"I need community service hours for high school graduation"

"After a long week at the office, it's fun to get my hands dirty!"

There are a ton of reasons to volunteer at Community Forklift.  And we are so grateful for help - our fantastic Forklift Fans keep the place running smoothly!  The low prices, the better-organized aisles, and the interesting selection of items...it all happens because volunteers sort materials, help customers, and spread the word to potential donors.

Have you been thinking about volunteering for a while?  Now is the time!  Celebrate Earth Day by signing up for an April orientation, and you'll earn triple store credit!  Just show up, take a tour of the warehouse, and earn $15 in store credit (and as you know, fifteen bucks goes a long way here).  If you can't make it to one of the regular orientations, we'll make an appointment that's better for your schedule.

There is no time commitment or skill level to be a volunteer - you can come once a week, or once a year.  We need help in the store, and at festivals around town.  To sign up, email [email protected] or call her at 301-985-5180.  And please tell us if YOUR town has an event that we should be attending!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Wed. April 1, 6 pm, Orientation for in-store volunteers, Community Forklift Warehouse
 
Sat. April 4, 9am-4pm, Howard County GreenFest, Columbia
 
Wed. April 8, 10am-4pm,UMD Green Jobs Fair, College Park
 
Sat. April 11, Frager's Hardware Fest, Capitol Hill
 
Tues, April 14, 10am-3pm, NEA Earth Day Fair, NW DC (free).  Also doing 45-minute Orientations for Festival Volunteers throughout the day
 
Wed. April 15, 6 pm, 45-minute Orientation for In-store Volunteers, Community Forklift Warehouse
 
Sat. April 18, 3-6 pm,Green event at Joe's Movement Emporium, Mt. Rainier
 
Sat. April 18, 12 - 5 pm, La Vida Verde, New Carrollton
 
Sat. April 18, 11 - 4 pm H20 Fest sponsored by WSSC, Laurel
 
Sun. April 19, 45-minute Orientation for Festival Volunteers, River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation Earth Day Celebration, Bethesda
 
Wed. April 22, 6 pm, Orientation for In-store Volunteers, Community Forklift Warehouse
 
Friday, April 24, 8am-5pm, Metropolitan Area Hunger Conference, Landover
 
Sat. April 25, (8am - 6pm)Earth Day Fair, Indian Head
 
Sun. April 26, Lighting Workshop - (volunteer needed to help with check-in and cleanup), Community Forklift Warehouse
 
Wed. April 29, 6 pm, Orientation for In-store Volunteers, Community Forklift Warehouse
 
Sat. May 2, Cheverly Truck Touch - volunteer needed to help with kids activity, as they climb all over our big truck.
 
Sun. May 3, 12-4 pm, 45 minute Orientations for Festival Volunteers throughout the day at the Potomac Overlook Regional Park Open House, Arlington. 
 
Sun. May 3, 12-4 pm, Volunteer needed to help with a kid's craft activity at the Potomac Overlook Regional Park Open House, Arlington
 
Sat. May 9, Hyattsville Day, Hyattsville
 
Sat. May 9, Main Street Festival, Laurel
 
Sun. May 10, Plumbing workshop (volunteer needed to help with check-in and cleanup), Community Forklift Warehouse

Check out our new google calendar on our website!  It'll be updated as we add new events to the lineup.

Our first workshop!
How to use re-claimed materials in your garden

On Sunday March 22, 10 participants took part in Community Forklift's first workshop in our spring "how-to" series.  Facilitators shared photos and objects they have incorporated in their gardens, both as decoration and functional garden infrastructure.

If you missed the workshop but would like to obtain some of the handouts, please contact the presenters below-- also some of the photos are displayed at Community Forklift at the area near our paint section.

shoe covers   space planter
  Planters from Shoe Covers   HVAC Equipment used as a Planter

salad table  containers
A salad table from reclaimed lumber         Potatoes in old crates

compost
A compost pile made out of discarded pallets

Here's the contact info & links to the personal projects of all the presenters if you would like more info:

Susan Chapin, [email protected], www.susanchapin.com

Sarah Murphy, [email protected], www.greenroofcanopy.com

Bea Trickett, [email protected], neighborhoodfarm.110mb.com
 
 
 Offer!

fireinsert

One FREE BOX (4 pints) of DAP Patching Plaster ($15 value) with any CF purchase!


Print out the coupon, fill in your name, and hand it to the
cashier at checkout
to receive your free gift!

Name: _______________________________
Zip code: ____________________________

While supplies last.

One discount per household - may not be combined with other offers or used more than once. Not valid toward consignment items. Valid on purchases made 4-2-09 thru 4-30-09.

Cashier Initials: ____________     Date Used: _____________