On Saturday August 27, 14 NAAAP volunteers braved the incoming wrath of Hurricane Irene to volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity site in Peabody, MA. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and founded on the belief that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. They work in partnership with low-income families using volunteer labor and donated materials wherever possible to renovate old houses or build new, inexpensive homes which are sold to needy families at cost with no profit.
The morning began with a brief introduction to Habitat’s mission from the build leaders and an explanation of the ongoing construction work for the three homes at the site. The volunteers then split up to work on various tasks at each home. One group worked on insulating electrical wires and connections and caulking the floors and walls of one home while others worked on building frames, painting the exterior walls, and installing windows at the other houses. Volunteers also began moving all exposed construction materials into shelter to avoid damage from the coming storm. After a quick break around noon for a pizza lunch, the volunteers were back to work securing the site and continuing the installation of doors and windows for the houses. A heavy rain started to fall a couple hours later but all the volunteers persevered and stayed to complete their tasks before calling it a day. Afterwards some of the volunteers went to Richardson’s Ice Cream shop to socialize a bit and enjoy some ice cream after a long but fulfilling day.
Many thanks to our volunteers Krystal Chung, Leo Yu, Shu Chan, Calvin Lee, Kenny Yan, Nigel Chan, Mel Chen, Diana Chan, Wennie Fang, Felix Cheng, Jay Halim, Joe Perlatonda, Will Tang, and Jeff Wei for all of their hard work. The Habitat for Humanity organizers were very appreciative of our efforts and invited us back anytime if we would like to work with them again.
