Between last weekend and next weekend, dozens of Iowa homes are being rehabilitated by an all-volunteer group.
Rebuilding Together is tackling major projects in and around Davenport, Muscatine, Des Moines and Omaha/Council Bluffs.
Lori McCombs is executive director of the Greater Des Moines chapter, which is sprucing up 50 homes with the help of a thousand volunteers. McCombs says, "We’re going to do everything from installing new flooring to doing some siding to repairing holes in roofs, to painting to making handicapped ramps and making homes handicapped accessible."
She says there is no cost to the homeowners, who are typically low-income elderly, disabled or are families with dependent children. "They actually just go through an application process and then a lot depends on their needs and our skills," McCombs says.
"We are an all-volunteer organization so we have to match projects with the level of the skills that we have." She says they’re still looking for volunteers who may offer a few skills in particular, like electricians, carpenters, roofers and other construction professionals.
"People who volunteer for Rebuilding Together come back year after year," McCombs says. "We’re in an area of the country where volunteerism is high and people do give back to their community, so it’s businesses and organizations that sponsor houses and bring volunteers with them." For more information, visit the agency’s website .