Sometimes love is a feeling.
But sometimes love means patching a roof, building a handicap ramps, or replacing what’s broken with something new.
Angela Whitlock has seen it first-hand.
Angela, a community leader, helps Home Repairs Ministries connect with homeowners in need. She’s seen plenty of people in the Duluth area with homes in need of repair.
“A lot of people are proud or shy,” she explained. “But if you’re getting a Social Security check for $700 or $800 a month, you can’t invest a lot in your home. You can barely make it from month to month.”
That means many homeowners have few options for repairs. Home repairs can pile up or become a safety hazard.
But the story doesn’t end here.
Thanks to people like Angela and Home Repairs volunteers, many homeowners can get the repairs they need.
The chance to repair homes and encourage hearts can change everything for a homeowner.
“I am going to tell you. They love it, love it, love it,” said Angela. “You should see the smile on their faces. It’s priceless.”
One of those success stories includes Maynard and Tommy Cooper of Duluth.
Their daughter, Beverly Bergman, heard about Home Repairs at her church and knew it could help her parents. Her 81-year-old father, Tommy, is on oxygen and had always enjoyed using the back deck. But their porch needed repairs, and the couple had lost the use of it.
“He wasn’t able to step out on it at all,” explained Beverly. “And Home Repairs came out and built a beautiful deck. They did an excellent job.”
To be able to use the back porch again means so much for her parents, she said.
“It meant everything,” she explains. “It changes their life. It’s a low deck. Just a few feet off the ground. They can sit out there and just enjoy the backyard now — which they hadn’t been able to do in years.”
“It’s made a world of difference,” she added.
Whether it’s a porch or some other project, sometimes it’s hard to know who gets the biggest blessing — volunteers or homeowners.
“What a joy it is,” added Angela. “These people took their time to come do this for someone they didn’t even know. It’s just this fellowshipping together.”
Want to make a difference in the life of a senior citizen or other deserving people in your community? Your support could help repair homes and encourage hearts. Visit homerepairs.org to find out how you can help.
