Thousands of Volunteers Ready to Revitalize 40 Low-Income Homes in One Day, Sat., May 4th
April 22, 2019 — Weeks of preparation are about to restore lasting peace of mind for 40 low-income families across the state of Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, all at no cost to the beneficiaries. The 32nd annual HomeFront Day is a massive step in this year’s campaign to make life-changing repairs to the homes of 60 older adults on fixed incomes, single-parent households, persons with disabilities and families in transitional crisis due to illness or job loss. More than 2,000 volunteers from 50 faith groups, civic organizations and corporations are joining in this “hands on” celebration of true community, making substantive improvements for them.
Area statistics underscore the increasing importance of this relief effort with more than 40% of older adults today still burdened with a mortgage balance. Hundreds of thousands of local residents live “paycheck to paycheck,” representing a demographic described by the United Way as “A.L.I.C.E.”: Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed.
Service comes full circle for many who have served our country as The Home Depot Foundation’s (THDF’s) longstanding, nationwide commitment to veterans touches down in CT. On HomeFront Day, eight of the 10 local low-income veteran projects funded by THDF this year await large-scale refurbishments. According to HomeFront’s Board Chair, Kenneth Wiegand, “The Home Depot Foundation has been a catalyst for so many of our volunteers, service, product and financial donors who wish to give back in big and small ways to those who have served our country.” Beneficiaries include Korean War and Vietnam War service people as well as those engaged more recently in the Middle East. This year’s activities nationwide build upon THDF’s milestone of 41,000 veteran homes revitalized since 2011. THDF has cleared the halfway point of an ambitious goal, pledging $500,000,000 dollars in aid to veterans by 2025.
Beyond the tangible difference they see in the homes they touch, research shows that participating volunteers experience many other benefits. Volunteering makes people feel that they are more “time affluent” according to the Harvard Business Review. The Corporation for National & Community Service has documented that those who volunteer represent lower mortality rates, higher levels of functional ability and reduced levels of depression.
HomeFront is a community-based program dedicated to providing quality of life improvements to families with financial hardships. Since 1988, HomeFront volunteers have repaired 3,100 homes, injecting $54 million of assistance where it is needed most. More information on HomeFront can be found online at: www.homefrontprogram.org.
Media Contact
Sean O’Brien, HomeFront
O: (203) 658-9664 C: (203) 803-9772
sobrien@homefrontprogram.org