Church, business volunteers aid in annual Habitat build

Home Depot volunteers lay sod for the 11th annual Apostles Build of Habitat for Humanity of Saline County. From left are Tamra Rodgers, John George, Jared Castleton, store manger Michael Gatewood and Sheri Street.
Home Depot volunteers lay sod for the 11th annual Apostles Build of Habitat for Humanity of Saline County. From left are Tamra Rodgers, John George, Jared Castleton, store manger Michael Gatewood and Sheri Street.

More than 150 volunteers grabbed their hard hats and hammers to participate in Habitat for Humanity of Saline County’s 11th annual Apostles Build Week, Sept. 10-16.

This special weeklong event is an annual project that brings members of local churches together to raise funds for and help build a Habitat home.

Located in Partnership Village, the home at 1900 S. Richards in Benton was an existing structure and billed as a recycled home. The vacant Habitat home was gutted to be renovated for a

Saline County family, said Megan Eoff, marketing and resource development coordinator at the local Habitat affiliate.

Each day during the week, church members came out to help. Participating churches included Asbury United Methodist, Center Point, Benton’s First Baptist, First United Methodist of Benton, First United Methodist of Bryant, Gateway Church of Saline County, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic, Revolution Church, Salem United Methodist, Sardis United Methodist, St. Matthew’s Episcopal and Ten Mile Baptist.

Two new-construction homes were being built the same week. On Sept. 13, a team from Home Depot in Benton was busy laying sod under the leadership of Paul Hall, chairman of the Habitat Building Committee.

Home Depot donated all of the flowerbed materials for landscaping, Eoff said. The sod was donated by Razorback Sod.

Tamra Rodgers, a cashier at Home Depot, said she enjoyed getting out from behind the register and getting her hands dirty for a good cause.

“This is my first time volunteering for Habitat, and it’s been great,” she said. “It’s nice to work for a company that encourages us to get out and help in the community.”

Store manager Michael Gatewood was on-site sweating with his team of employees. He explained that through Team Depot, the company’s philanthropic initiative, employees band together to perform various community projects.

Gatewood has been at the Benton store for six months but has worked for Home Depot for 10 years. He said he has completed 40 to 50 service projects.

“We see a need in the community and are eager to help,” he said.

Habitat for Humanity of Saline County is a Christian-based housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in the county, according to affiliate’s mission and official description. Since its establishment in 1999, the organization has broken ground on more than 65 homes in Saline County for low-income families. Habitat families perform “sweat equity” and pay Habitat for their no-interest mortgages.

Hall has been volunteering for Habitat for about five years. He’s part of the Tuesday Crew, which comprises retired men who join together to help on each Habitat build.

“I didn’t know anything about building homes when I first started,” Hall said. “We all come from different walks of life, and it’s great how we all learn together and learn from each other.”

To help fund Habitat’s operations, the local organization relies on support from the community. The Bid to Build Art Auction, one of the organization’s most successful fundraisers, will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday at the Benton Events Center.

Eoff said the Habitat affiliate usually raises about $15,000 from the event, with the funds used to eliminate poverty housing in the community.

The work of several local artists, including Matt Coburn, who will donate three pieces, will be featured at the event, as well as many items donated by local businesses for the silent and live auctions.

For more information, call (501) 315-5434.

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