| OHD Update: Katrina's waters have receded, hope has not |
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As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, it is time to reflect on work completed by Habitat for Humanity International’s Operation Home Delivery (OHD).
To date, the Twin Cities affiliate has built 16 homes at an average cost of $11,000. Five homes were built, and four were shipped by barge to Slidell, La. last fall. The fifth home is waiting in storage until Slidell is ready to receive the house. This spring, 11 additional “homes in a box” were shipped by truck to Mobile, Al., which single-handedly fulfilled that Habitat affiliate’s initial home order. About 250 volunteers — along with TCHFH staff and Americorps members — participated in Hurricane Katrina efforts. Behind the scenes, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s OHD efforts received $415,128.38 in contributions from 245 donors. Of this amount, four donors contributed almost three-quarters — $286,252.21 — of the total. Thus far, $184,000 of the funds have been spent and the rest will be allocated once more sites along the Gulf Coast are ready to receive homes. Brenda Carson-Lawless, executive director of the Mobile Habitat affiliate, was overjoyed by TCHFH’s partnership and said, “We are blessed that Twin Cities Habitat recognized our incredible need and has not forgotten about us!” BancMidwest was one of the significant donors for OHD, giving $100,000. According to President and Chief Executive Officer, John Blomquist, OHD fits perfectly with his company’s culture, which has a firm commitment to customers and communities. “We encourage our employees to volunteer in their own community, but in the case of Hurricane Katrina, we needed a broader definition of the word ‘community,’ and we found it with Operation Home Delivery.” Hugh J. Andersen Foundation also contributed significantly last fall. The foundation’s mission is to give back to the community through focused efforts that foster inclusiveness, promote equality, and lead to increased human independence, self-sufficiency and dignity. Other important donors included Residential Capital Corporation (ResCap, formerly GMAC-RFC), a leading real-estate finance company and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. Contributed by Kay Malchow |
