POCATELLO — So much has changed over the last few days with the COVID-19 spread. ReStore's staff and board have been discussing what we should do in order to be proactive for those at high risk. The safety of our staff, customers and donors is of utmost importance, and the decision has been made to close the ReStore for a period of two weeks, from March 17 to March 30.

The board intends to continue regular payroll during the store closure in order to support our staff while they are furloughed from work. Financial support from the community is urgently needed during this time to ensure the survival of Gateway Habitat for Humanity Pocatello. Closing the ReStore will mean a significant loss of revenue, and we do not have cash reserves from which to draw. We must still pay our rent, our staff, our insurance and our utilities in order to be able to reopen the store when the danger has passed. The board will be seeking every avenue of financial relief that is available to us as a Habitat affiliate, and financial donations from the community also will be gratefully received.

We wish everyone well during this time, and we hope to see all of you when we reopen the store. Ways to donate to Gateway Habitat for Humanity during the revenue loss from the ReStore closure will be posted on our Facebook page. Thank you to our customers and donors for understanding our decision. We appreciate each and every one of you and look forward to welcoming you back.

Words can’t express our appreciation for you, our Habitat team and everyone who supports our mission to help those in need by providing strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter; because everyone deserves a decent place to live. While this time will test all of us, it will also give us the opportunity to pull together, offer a hand-up to our neighbor and further strengthen the common threads that bond us together and make us a community.