A Day with Habitat for Humanity - Recap
I've enjoyed the rainy week here in Los Angeles but I was hoping it would hold off on Friday so I could join Habitat for Humanity's "A Brush With Kindness" program for the day. It stayed overcast but the weather held and we got the job done. I tweeted our progress throughout the day but if you didn't catch that, here's a brief recap of how the day went.
Our crew of 5 led by a general contractor met in South LA at 8:00am. After some brief introductions our GC, John broke us into two groups. The first group was to build a set of steps from the back door of the house down to the carport. With some brief but thorough instructions they went to work cutting stringers and digging out the foundation for the steps.
I was paired with another volunteer (Jeff) to work on the front yard where we would be setting up the poles for a new perimeter fence. Fortunately the rain had softened up the dirt so we made quick work of digging the holes using a post hole digger. One of the holes needed to be dug just behind a big shrub but with the help of a reciprocating saw we did a bit of pruning and were able to squeeze enough space to dig. We definitely wouldn't have turned down an auger for this job but we had the tools we needed.
With the holes dug we set the poles as plumb as possible and proceeded to fill-in with concrete. It was great to see the homeowner who was gracious throughout our time grab a shovel and help us out a bit.
The crew in the back was just finishing up as we were and everything was ready for the next group of volunteers to return on Tuesday to finish the job of putting up the fence and completing the steps.
It felt great to work outside and help a homeowner who otherwise wouldn't have the financial or physical means to do the work themselves. The volunteers arrived focused and our contractor, John was knowledgeable and made everyone feel comfortable and ready to contribute.
I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity LA but there are Habitat for Humanity AffiliateAffiliates worldwide that would love just a day of your time.
