We arrived at the Chesapeake Habitat Headquarters at around 7:40 a.m. One of Boyfriend's classmates did two years of AmeriCorps service there, so that's why we drove so far. Boyfriend also did one year of AmeriCorps service for Habitat, but served in the International Headquarters Office in the booming Metropolitan Center that is Americus, GA.
Once we signed our waivers we were off to the build sites. We were told that over 16,000 homes in Baltimore are vacant. Having a vacant home in a neighborhood causes property value to go down because of crime, pests and deterioration. The neighborhoods we went to, though, were almost all vacant. I'd never seen anything like it. Such a beautiful historic district was boarded up, with trash filling up some vacant lots and make-shift thrift stores filling up others. What I found interesting though is that these houses we are building don't get "given away". They are made for people living above the poverty level in Baltimore (making $17-24,000) but don't make enough to afford a regular mortgage.
We showed up and were immediately put to work. Boyfriend and I knocked out two windows, including the frames, from a nice row-house. Then our team (three men and me) cleaned up and swept out the trash and dust from that house. We moved down the block to the next house, which needed much more work than the first. I was immediately put to work nailing in framework. I'm not a girly girl but it's been quite a while since I was required to really swing a hammer (2 and a half years, in fact. On the very mission trip where Boyfriend and I met). I was taught how to hold the hammer and get a good swing in. Then they let me at it. I built three frames for the walls and it felt great. Not physcially. Physically it hurt like Hell and I'm still stiff and sore. It felt great knowing I was helping built a house for a family in need. It felt great that I learned a new skill and stuck with it long enough to excel. It felt great to let out aggression on bent nails and knotted wood.
We had a quick lunch break and worked until 3:30 p.m. then cleaned up and journeyed back. I'm not going to lie and say I felt awesome at the end of the day. I felt defeated by work and pooped. But my spirits were high and they still are. I highly recommend volunteering at your local Habitat affiliate. You don't have to know ANYTHING about building things. They train you on the site.
But, a word to the wise: keep your gloves on the whole time or you'll be sure to break a nail. Trust me...
Caption: Neighborhood in Baltimore, located on Jefferson Street, where we worked on Saturday. Picture taken from Chesapeake Habitat Web site.
1 comments:
Good for you! Sounds like a great project. Hate to hear of the failing neighborhoods, though.
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