Volunteer

We are currently in need of volunteers in a variety of areas, including fund-raising, working on our newsletter, construction, and more. If you would like to volunteer, call our office at (509) 529-5906.

Building a Foundation: A Volunteer's Perspective

I have seen many pictures of volunteers working for Habitat for Humanity with saws, hammers and measuring tapes in view. Now, I don't mean to complain but each time Pam calls me to volunteer, I'm handed a pick and shovel! I guess it's a ritual part of the program. I soon stop crying when I see the Powers family and other volunteers with those tools as well. My first volunteer day was digging footings for the foundation. The Powers and another volunteer went one way. I proceeded to go the other way. I was soon joined by Kimberly Powers. I picked, and she hauled away shovelfuls of loose dirt.

The boredom was broken by talk of school, church and cooking. School - her favorite subject was art; church - they had dances; and cooking - special recipes (I received a recipe for tuna fish, but I'm sorry, I'm not sharing. I worked hard for that recipe.).

As we headed for the far corner, Kimberly, in a very polite way, informed me I wasn't going deep enough to the specifications of the foundation man in charge. And she was right, the 14 inch depth had become 12 inches and creeping up! So, I followed the instructions, backed up and removed some more dirt.

Kimberly's awareness told me the importance of this home to her, and as I observed her parents and the other volunteer fighting the rocky side of the property, I was inspired. I admired them and the program, Habitat for Humanity, for I could see that the labor given by the owners made the foundation much stronger. Laboring for our shelter, being a part of it, also makes us stronger. That pick and shovel I complain about, it fits my hands very well, and I feel stronger. And now when I see the house on its foundation, I say the pick and shovel did that.