LOS ANGELES TIMES
Thursday September 02, 2004
HOME WORKS
A bargain hunter's natural habitat
Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit organization that builds homes for low-income families, relies heavily on donations of labor, building supplies and cash. In 2001, with the economy in a downturn, Habitat for Humanity South Bay/Long Beach was sorely lacking the third. At the same time, it had a surplus of building supplies: "We were getting up to 100 calls a week, people wanting to donate materials from renovations, etc., and we were turning people down," says President Erin Rank. "It occurred to me that we could utilize the donations by opening a retail home improvement store."
Rank began banking donations and found a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in
Grand opening: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Habitat for Humanity South Bay/Long Beach Home Improvement Store is at 17700 S. Figueroa St.; (310) 323-5665, www.shophabitat.org.
-- Steven Barrie-Anthony
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Dashboard dining in decline
Americans are notoriously busy. We're so tethered to work that we resist vacationing -- more than 30% of us forfeit vacation days due us, and when we do take time off, 32% check office voicemail and e-mail, according to a recent study by Expedia.com. Kids are equally busy, prepping for the SATs in grade school and slogging through college-level classes in high school.
But contrary to our workaholic reputation, "dashboard dining," or dining on the run, is on the decline: 75% of Americans eat dinner at home with their families at least five nights a week, according to a recent study by the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn.
Among other dining habit findings:
* 88% dine at the kitchen table
* 74% eat at the dining room table
* 72% occasionally dine on the sofa or couch
* 97% chat while dining
* 74% watch TV
* 30% read.
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