There’s a new way for those who want to help build a home for a deserving family but don’t have the time to swing a hammer or tote lumber.

Habitat for Humanity of the N.C. Sandhills and Keep Richmond County Beautiful have partnered to offer an aluminum can collection bin in front of the Rockingham Habitat ReStore.

Proceeds will go toward building homes, while the cans will be kept off the side of the road or in landfills.

“This is another way people can help build a house without having to do manual labor,” ReStore Manager Trey Robbins said. “They can just drop off their aluminum cans, and we’ll sell them and use the money to build a home for a deserving family.”

The Habitat ReStore in Rockingham opened last August, and is the major Habitat fundraising mechanism in Richmond County. It works on the concept of collecting building materials and household items that are being cast-off by their owners, then re-selling them to raise money to build homes.

Habitat officials hope to raise enough money from the store to build two homes a year.

Sandhills Habitat Moore County ReStore Manager Ken Pierson explained the can collection is a program the non-profit has used in Aberdeen with success.

“(In Aberdeen) we’ve done it by ourselves, but in Richmond County it’s a joint project with Keep Richmond County Beautiful,” he said.

Keep Richmond County Beautiful is a non-profit organization aimed at cutting down on litter in the county. It’s a chapter of Keep America Beautiful.

Pierson explained collection bags are available at the store at no cost, and said he’d like to see businesses get involved since they generate more materials for collection.

Sandhills Habitat Richmond County Area Manager Chris Carpenter said the can collection program has been in place in the past, but will now be more visible with the collection bin being located in front of the store.

“It’s just a way for us to be able to use a program we already had in place to collect even more cans,” he said. “The other benefit is that it keeps the cans off the side of the road and out of the landfills.”

Anyone can donate cans in the cage in front of the Habitat ReStore in the Lowe’s Shopping Center in Rockingham at any time during the day, because it is located outside.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 15, or by e-mail at pbrown@heartlandpublications.com.