Nonprofit needs warehouse type space

Posted by on October 15, 2004

[posted from Neighbors On-Line Philadelphia]

Nonprofit needs warehouse type space

The Please Take Materials Exchange is looking for space to house a reuse center and materials exchange. In addition to the materials exchange we plan on providing space for a depot/transfer center for participants of Philly Freecycle (http://www.phillyfreecycle.org/) which we manage in collaboration with MAGNET, the Mt. Airy Greening Network.

We are flexible in our needs and able to adapt to many possible situations. Have a large warehouse type space, an old vacant store, an unused church or school, etc.? Please drop us a line about any possibility!

As we are a nonprofit of course cost is an issue however we are willing and able to discuss any possibility including rent, long term loan, cooperative/collaborative agreement, lease, rent to own, a straight donation (yes, tax deductions are possible, as we are a 501(c)3).

In addition we would greatly appreciate hearing from anybody who wishes to help to make this happen in any way.

Thank you,

Michael Simons
Managing Director
Please Take Materials Exchange

A little bit about us:

The Please Take Materials Exchange (PTME) is a non-profit, arts & environmental organization dedicated to creating a healthy & sustainable Greater Philadelphia through the creative reuse of materials. Our goal is simple: to rescue as much useful material from the trash stream as possible and redirect it to the people and organizations who need it.

Our efforts support the sustainable development of community by providing an affordable, recycled source for the materials necessary to build strong non-profit, arts, education, and community programs. In this era of budgetary cuts (witness the current battle over arts funding in the City budget), every dollar counts in non-profit and public works projects.

Our program addresses financial shortfalls by:

* Networking with business and industry partners, as well as with other non-profits and individual donors to salvage materials which would otherwise be headed for the landfill;

* Providing at low cost (or free) these raw & finished materials essential for: public art projects; community works projects; classes; cultural productions; and more;

* Supporting artists and individuals in their small-business ventures, with low cost equipment, fixtures, furnishings and supplies.

* Reducing the burden shouldered by government and taxpayers in dealing with the volume of waste as well as the environmental impact of improper disposal.

The Please Take Materials Exchange is creating strong infrastructure solutions while reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills and incinerators, thereby increasing the overall quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia Region.

A secondary, but major component of our program is educational as we impact through inspiration, leading organizations, businesses and individuals to new ways of thinking about material resources. The remnants at the end of a production line, construction supplies left over from a home improvement project, & set pieces from a completed performance are all possible fodder for another person?s or group?s project or program. By providing an interactive mechanism for the reclamation, redistribution and exchange of these materials, the PTME provides the physical and intellectual space for the inspirational flashpoints which lead to innovative problem solving and goal attainment.