Building a Home with Habitat for Humanity: Sweat, Siding & a Lot of Love

Our third volunteer adventure with Habitat for Humanity brought Give Back Girls Arlene, Michelle and Johanna to New Haven on a very hot and humid August day! We got sweaty, dirty and tired, but we also left with full hearts knowing we were helping build a safe and affordable home for a deserving family.

We started the day by cleaning and organizing the construction site, sorting building materials into piles of what could be reused and what would be hauled away. But first, we had to get the truck ready! We shoveled gravel off the truck and onto a tarp so it could be reused. Who knew that there is actually a method of shoveling based on the shape of the shovel! Well, we know now! Brad got Arlene all excited when he asked, "Who wants to operate some heavy equipment?" As Arlene was about to say, "Pick me", Brad explained that once the gravel is scooped up, the shovels became heavy equipment! Talk about getting our workout in before the work even began!

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There were plenty of memorable moments throughout the day. Arlene discovered an L-shaped piece of plywood that perfectly represented the love we felt that day. ❤️ Michelle had a first of her own, learning how to install siding and then heading up to the second floor on scaffolding to help nail pieces of siding into place!

We were treated to a sweet surprise! The couple that we were helping to build their home, made homemade flan for our break! It was such a thoughtful treat and made the day even more special. We were sorry Johanna, AKA the Flan Lady, missed out on it, since she loves to bake delicious flan herself! We also had a surprise visitor. GBG Angie stopped by to cheer us on!

We loved working alongside the Habitat for Humanity team and are already looking forward to the dedication ceremony, when we can celebrate with the family and see the finished home.

We like to think that our little bit of sweat, hard work, and love helps make that day possible for the deserving family. 🏠❤️

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