Habitat for Humanity Builds Home, 100 Volunteers Made it Happen

WHITESBORO – The unfinished house at 113 Sumner Street was filled with visitors coming in and going out. This was the latest Habitat for Humanity house nearing completion, soon to be occupied by the Gilbert family.
Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with the Family Promise Project, worked hard to make this possible.
Four years ago, Dorothy Gilbert was a homeless mother with five children to shelter, clothe and feed. With few resources and even less hope, Gilbert turned to Family Promise, a coalition of Cape May churches which have devised a rotating system of venues to house people with no place to live. It has proved to be very successful.
Shawn Lockyear is director of the Habitat program. As she stood in the unfinished bathroom, Lockyear expressed delight at how well the house for the Gilberts had come together.
“The faith community has really come together,” Lockyear said. “We had over 100 volunteers just on this project.” She told the Herald of the many community members who generously gave time, money and materials to make a home for a mother and her five children.
“Middle Township donated the lot,” Lockyear said. “All plumbing and labor was donated. We received discounts on shingles, lumber, siding. The Whirlpool Company donates nationwide to every Habitat House in the country.”
The houses are not given to occupants free of charge. In the case of the Gilberts, they put in “sweat equity” of 300 hours and will have a 30-year, no-interest mortgage for $120,000. Their monthly payments will be under $700 per month. “But we couldn’t do this without a lot of donations,” said Lockyear.
Wayne Grant represents Thrivent Financial which provided 50 percent of the financing. Grant explained that Thrivent employees donate their time and talents as well as the company donation of 50 percent financing to the enterprise. “It is a humbling and rewarding experience to participate in this project,” Grant said.
The Rev. Jeff Elliott of Cape May Lutheran Church described all the efforts in a different way, “This is pure Gospel – Matthew 25 stuff.” (The Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 25, retells the admonitions of Jesus attaining heaven and includes the passage, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was naked and you clothed me.’)
“It was the last thing Jesus said before His crucifixion,” added Elliott.
Mary Durkin of Family Promise, sat next to Lisa Jenkins, a previous participant who lives in a Habitat house in Swainton.
Jenkins said the house transformed her life. “This program is such a blessing,” Jenkins stated.
Dorothy Gilbert, the recipient of all this effort was thrilled that by the end of the year she and her children, John, Anthony, Sammantha, Paige and Brooke, would be moving into their new home.
Middle Township Deputy Mayor Daniel Lockwood exercised one of his happier duties representing the municipality. “This is about providing shelter for our residents. I am happy to be here and happy for the Gilberts,” he said.
Habitat for Humanity has more projects in the wings for Middle Township. To learn more visit its website: www.habitatcapemay.org, call 463-0244 or the manager of Volunteer Programs Jennifer Gensemer at 827-3556.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey@cmcherald.com.