OAKLAND, Maine (WABI) – It was a housewarming party for one Oakland family that is moving in to a new home thanks to Habitat for Humanity and support from the community.
More than 3,000 volunteer hours and two-and-a-half years of work from volunteers and local businesses helped make it possible for a veteran and his wife to move into a brand-new home in Oakland.
The Waterville Area Habitat for Humanity, along with the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and other community partners, held a ribbon cutting for the new home.
Those who organized the event are grateful for the hundreds of volunteers that made it possible and think it says a lot about the Waterville-area that projects like this are possible.
“We have a really strong community here,” answered Waterville Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Jonathan Irwin. “A lot of businesses have gotten involved, a lot of people volunteering their time. We’ve seen some growth over this last year. We’ve got a new location we just opened up on K.M.D. in Waterville and we’re starting now to be able to take new projects.”
“For me, it was the construction part of it where I spent of my time here building things,” added Waterville Area Habitat for Humanity Construction Coordinator Skip Pratt. “When I got done, I always felt good that we accomplished something, and we had good volunteers. Like I said, I didn’t do this alone, and I had a good group of volunteers that helped a lot. So, it’s very gratifying.”
The family also contributed 300 of their own volunteer hours, and earlier on Tuesday, they were officially signed over the mortgage, becoming homeowners.
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