Dear Friends, Neighbors and Community Partners,

As 2017 draws to a close, we at Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County, like many of you, are reflecting on what’s transpired this past year. We are grateful to the businesses, grant makers, and individuals who made donations in support of our mission to help Worcester County homeowners with their homeownership goals and critical repair needs. Volunteer commitment was at an all-time high, and we are humbled at the willingness from so many community members who gave of their time so generously.

Many of you joined us on Jefferson Street in June for our first farm-to-table dinner. It was a wonderful event where the spirit of community was a tangible force, celebrated over communal food, grown at local farms and prepared by our restaurant partners.

We thank the volunteers, sponsors, and restaurant partners who enabled this event to happen. The Dinner on Jefferson was sold-out and raised over $15,000 for our forthcoming Jefferson Street Project, a compact, mixed-use development that will feature 2 affordable housing homeownership apartments, and 2 gallery spaces. We will continue to fundraise for the Jefferson Street Project in 2018, and hope to be able to break ground for construction in the first quarter of 2019.

This past year, we responded to the direct need of local homeowners by completing two critical repair projects. The first was a total roof repair in Ocean Pines. The second created handicap accessibility for a WWII veteran in Ocean City. Both of these projects were completed with 100% volunteer labor and donation of materials! As we move into 2018 and the years to come, we will continue to respond to the increased demand for critical repairs for existing homeowners. Many of the requests we receive are from elderly homeowners on fixed incomes who wish to remain in their homes. Often referred to as “aging in place,” Habitat affiliates can act as crucial partners by providing handicap accessibility, and performing repair work that homeowners are unable to complete on their own due to physical or financial limitations. If you, or someone you know is faced with these challenges, we encourage you to reach out to us during one of our application rounds in 2018.

In addition to critical repairs, we will also be completing a single-family home build in the early part of 2018. This next build will take place on one of our properties in Bishopville or Stockton. We will be selecting a qualified family during our January application round, and they will be able to choose the property that is most convenient for them.

Please mark your calendars for May of 2018 when our postponed gala will have a new date at the Taylor House Museum. This event will bring together the most memorable features of both the Dinner on Jefferson, and the gala on one very special evening that is not to be missed. We hope you will join us!

There is more exciting news on the horizon, that we hope to be able to share very soon! Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for up to date information, and sign up for the newsletter on our website. We encourage you to reach out to us in 2018 to join us in a volunteer capacity!

In closing, from our Habitat family to yours, best wishes for a happy, healthy, and blessed New Year.

Kind Regards,

Andrea Bowland
Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County