ROANOKE, Va. – Time has flown by for the members working on this year’s “Home for Good” project.
And thanks to the help of volunteers, there has been an incredible amount of progress made since the project kicked off at the beginning of June. In fact, the project is nearly halfway complete.
“The way Habitat builds those houses affordably is by using volunteer labor whenever possible,” Gina Dunnavant, the Habitat Volunteer Manager said.
On average, volunteers provide 70% of the labor needed to complete each home, and there are plenty of ways to get help.
“You might be framing a house. You might be putting the wallboard up. You might be painting. You might be landscaping. You might be putting a porch on the back of the house,” Dunnavant said. “But whatever you’re doing, we’ll make sure you’re doing it within your comfort level and also with the training you need to make sure it’s done right.”
But there are other volunteer opportunities – no hammers or nails required – at Habitat’s ReStore.
“The ReStore sells new and used furniture, home goods, and building supplies, and then the proceeds from selling those items go to fund the building of the Habitat houses,” Dunnavant said.
The coronavirus pandemic impacted Habitat’s volunteer numbers. There have been more individual volunteers coming out, and fewer groups, which are typically a big part of Habitat’s volunteer force.
“We’re still building back up. We are still low,” Dunnavant said. “We really would like to have those groups back out.”
Because those volunteers are not just building a house, they’re building community.