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AmeriCares Homefront Day is May 2

Stamford, Conn., April 23, 2009 — Senior citizens on fixed incomes, disabled residents and single parents are among the more than 90 homeowners who will have their homes transformed by volunteers on Saturday, May 2 as part of AmeriCares HomeFront Day.

HomeFront Day is a one-day repair blitz in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., that helps needy homeowners, who due to financial and/or physical limitations cannot make the repairs themselves. Volunteers from local corporations as well as religious and civic organizations paint, fix plumbing and electrical problems, install safety railings, clear debris, replace broken windows and more.

This year, due to the economic downturn, low-income families are struggling to make ends meet and need our help more than ever. Since donations to charities are down at the same time, a few volunteer teams have chipped in above and beyond the usual sponsorship fee to ensure they have all the tools and materials needed to get the job done. In addition to the volunteer teams, many skilled contractors donate their time, and manufacturers and retailers generously donate a portion of the construction materials for this annual event. Volunteers performing the repairs, program organizers and the homeowners who benefit are all available for interviews.

For the 12th consecutive year, experts from the Emmy Award-winning television program “This Old House” are participating. General contractor Tom Silva and his crew will renovate a home in Norwalk on May 16.

Since 1988, AmeriCares HomeFront volunteers have performed more than $33 million worth of repairs to 2,300 homes in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y. The gift of a sound and livable home provides recipients with peace of mind and helps revitalize and stabilize communities.

• Avon Products, Rye, NY
• Fourth Unitarian Society, Mohegan Lake, NY
• Human Development Services-Westchester NPC, Port Chester, NY
• MasterCard Worldwide, Rye, NY
• Order of the Arrow, Westchester County, NY
• Sharpened Saws Team, Yonkers, NY

• Bank of America Charitable Foundation
• Coldwell Banker CARES
• Macauley Family Foundation
• MetLife
• Mithun Family Foundation
• Norbert H. Hardner Foundation
• The Guardian Life Insurance Company
• The John H. & Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust
• This Old House Ventures, New York, NY
• Webster Bank
• 3M/Aearo Safety, St. Paul, MN
• Classic Tile, Elizabeth, NJ
• Allway Tool, Bronx, NY
• Shurtape Technologies, Catawba, NC
• Behr Paints, Santa Ana, CA]
• Wooster Brush, Wooster, OH
• Owens Corning Roofing, Toledo, OH

HomeFront is a community program of AmeriCares, an international relief and humanitarian aid organization that donates medicines and medical supplies to people in need worldwide.

Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has delivered $8 billion of aid to 137 countries.