I have to say that demolition work is a tough endeavor. Helping with Habitat for Humanity has given me new appreciation for the wonderful people who have come to help, and for the modern benefits of ibuprofen.
On Wednesday the 11th, volunteers gathered at the center of a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood to receive their assignments for Hurricane Matthew demolition. I was tasked to remove flooring in a bathroom. I removed shoe molding (that's the little wood edge between your baseboard and your floor), unscrewed a toilet from the floor (yuck!), and detached a small bathroom cabinet and sink. I had plenty of help from contractor and site manager Chris, who guided me on how to complete each step. It was tiring and fulfilling work.
With all the scraping and and ripping up flooring, wearing a mask and goggles is important. Without a mask, you are bound to wind up with all kinds of gunk in your nose and throat.
After removing the shoe, the toilet and the cabinet, I pried up the vinyl flooring and the pad underneath. The biggest challenge was finding all the little nails that held the pad in place and getting those pried up. It was a decent workout for several hours. When the volunteers finish, experienced contractors come in and replace the floors and cabinets. With so many homes affected by Hurricane Matthew, the Habitat for Humanity folks are dealing with economies of scale: large purchases of similar materials for many homes make those materials cheaper than they would be for building just a couple of homes at one time.
On the 18th, I went to help clean up a home that was recently built for a Habitat for Humanity family. That day, I cleaned paint and grout drops from a brand-new tub enclosure, and shined up a sink, toilet and floor. We also installed new outlet covers and cleaned the construction dust off of everything.
I have met some amazing people, from high school students working to give back, to military spouses and stay at home moms, to retirees. I'm excited about my next adventure in volunteer work.
I'm working the Fayetteville Area Operation InAsMuch front desk once a week. They still have openings available. It's pretty laid back. Sometimes the phone rings and you forward it to the right person or take down a message. Sometimes another volunteer comes to the door and needs to be let in. If you'd like to staff the desk for 3 or 4 hours a week, or even a full day, please contact them at 910-433-2161.
It is a wonderful thing to see so many organizations providing valuable services in our community. It is a bit time consuming to go through each organization's website to find their volunteer opportunities, age limitations, and other information. I'm preparing to upload the information I've collected so far. If you are looking for a specific type of opportunity, the tags on each post should help you find the right volunteer project for you.
On Wednesday the 11th, volunteers gathered at the center of a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood to receive their assignments for Hurricane Matthew demolition. I was tasked to remove flooring in a bathroom. I removed shoe molding (that's the little wood edge between your baseboard and your floor), unscrewed a toilet from the floor (yuck!), and detached a small bathroom cabinet and sink. I had plenty of help from contractor and site manager Chris, who guided me on how to complete each step. It was tiring and fulfilling work.
With all the scraping and and ripping up flooring, wearing a mask and goggles is important. Without a mask, you are bound to wind up with all kinds of gunk in your nose and throat.
On the 18th, I went to help clean up a home that was recently built for a Habitat for Humanity family. That day, I cleaned paint and grout drops from a brand-new tub enclosure, and shined up a sink, toilet and floor. We also installed new outlet covers and cleaned the construction dust off of everything.
I have met some amazing people, from high school students working to give back, to military spouses and stay at home moms, to retirees. I'm excited about my next adventure in volunteer work.
I'm working the Fayetteville Area Operation InAsMuch front desk once a week. They still have openings available. It's pretty laid back. Sometimes the phone rings and you forward it to the right person or take down a message. Sometimes another volunteer comes to the door and needs to be let in. If you'd like to staff the desk for 3 or 4 hours a week, or even a full day, please contact them at 910-433-2161.
It is a wonderful thing to see so many organizations providing valuable services in our community. It is a bit time consuming to go through each organization's website to find their volunteer opportunities, age limitations, and other information. I'm preparing to upload the information I've collected so far. If you are looking for a specific type of opportunity, the tags on each post should help you find the right volunteer project for you.
Check out sethswish.com. we're always looking for vollunteers in Fayetteville! This site is a great idea, thank you for taking the time to put it together :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will consider and evaluate including the site after we finish our first round of publishing the organizations on our existing list. :)
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