The Northern Moore Family Resource Center (NMFRC) and all the families who benefited from the housing repair “blitz” in November would like to express our profound appreciation for the help received.

Habitat for Humanity organized the event, with help from our housing director, Marsae Stone. Karen Hieronymus is the volunteer director of housing repair for Habitat.

With the help of Ken Rahal and other volunteers, Karen and the group agreed to take on an ambitious number of projects — three new roofs, three ramps for wheelchair-bound children and adults, new steps to replace a rotting entrance to a home, a masonry project to shore up an unsupported concrete front porch, new windows for a home, new screening for a front porch, new paint for another, and flooring and insulation for an attic that will allow a family with seven children to expand their living space.

Thanks to Ken’s efforts, Locust Lumber donated all of the shingles and wood. Moore Brick and Stone in Aberdeen and Yearby Masonry also donated materials. Thanks to Mark Trudeau, several grants from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans helped pay for other needed materials.

With help from churches — First Baptist Church of Robbins, Smyrna United Methodist Church, Tabernacle United Methodist Church, Community Presbyterian Church, and Christ Community Church — we had more than 80 volunteers donate their time and talent to help their neighbors in need.

Thanks so much to everyone mentioned herein, particularly Karen Hieronymus and Ken Rahal, as well as Pastor Kenneth McNeill and his crew of volunteers from First Baptist Church of Robbins (and to Wayne Blake, a member who nourished volunteers with grilled cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup).

Finally, thanks to John Nagy and John Chappell for their great coverage of the event in The Pilot. It’s wonderful to live in such a caring community.

Clare Ruggles

Executive Director, Northern Moore Family Resource Center