Habitat For Humanity

Last month, employees from Spokane Hardware got to participate in Habitat for Humanity's Blitz Build in Deer Park, WA which is about 30 miles north of Spokane. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I hope to do it again. This post is all about the experience. I have always enjoyed helping the community when I can. I feel that if we all do our best to help each other out in whatever capacity we can, the world is a better place. Whether, you buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, donate canned goods, shop at Goodwill, or volunteer your time. It all counts. Spokane Hardware & TheHardwareHut.com share my belief in helping where you can.

Spokane Home Builders Association has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity for a number of years and they hosted an open house at the Habitat Store (which by the way, is a cool place to wander around for odds and ends.) We decided to head to the open house to check out upcoming events. Before the end of the night, we'd signed up to donate a house worth of hardware and volunteered some employees to help build.

Andrew Northrop getting the scoop from Michone Preston (H4H Spokane's CEO)

We were the first to Volunteer a donation...Whoo Hoo!

We organized our staff to help build on June 4th & 5th for half a day. I want to preface these next few pictures with, typically at the beginning of June we've got decent weather. There is a chance of rain, but the temperature is usually in the mid-sixties. This year, we were lucky enough to get wind, rain (at times pouring rain) and about 50°.  Despite the weather, we were champs and I couldn't be prouder!

The first two houses on site to be built.

Spokane Hardware employees: Mitch Ongers (L), Ray Winkler (Front), and Kelly Roscoe (R)

Our Marketing Manager Stephanie Willer climbs a ladder to attach two walls.

Spokane Hardware employees from June 4th build day. (L-R: Erica Roscoe, Allison Hodson, Kelly Roscoe, Nick Petrie, Charlie Iverson, Kelly Ormsby, Ray Winkler, Stephanie Willer, Mitch Ongers, & Jameson Kersey)

Despite the fact that I was frozen, soaked, and it takes me five minutes to hammer a nail, I had an amazing time and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Riding back to town, we were all tired and cold, but I could sense the feeling of accomplishment.

Andrew & I went back out to the build site for the opening of the first two houses. For me, that was the best part of the entire experience. Seeing the families who get to move in, the pride and excitement of owning their own home was priceless.

The first two completed homes.

             One home owner shared a poem with us and I thought it was pretty inspirational.

"Drop a pebble in the water:
just a splash, and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples
Circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center,
flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling
where the end is going to be." 

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”