Construction is underway on three Craven County Habitat for Humanity homes in the Pembroke community, with one family close to a move-in date and two others excited to watch the foundations go down and the walls go up. One group from MCAS Cherry Point and another from Maryland are helping with that effort this week.
Michael Piraino is community outreach coordinator for Craven County Habitat for Humanity. He said members of the Frederick, Maryland Disaster Response team traveled to New Bern again to help with the three builds underway this spring.
“When Florence hit, they came down and helped out and then they've just been coming twice a year, every year that they've been able to,” he said, “So, I believe this is their sixth time now.”
He said the MCAS Cherry Point volunteers from the Single Marine Program on-site this week are the largest group of service members that have helped with the local home building projects.
Piraino said, “We've had Marines come individually before, but this is the first time we've had such a large group come out and be a part of their program where they are coming out en masse to a lot of nonprofits in the area.”
L. Cpl. Reginald Barnes was among the Marines moving rock, laying sod, and hammering nails, and he said, “It feels good. You know, it doesn't matter how hot or how cold it gets when you know that you're doing it for someone else, that's gonna, you know, appreciate that. And you never know, it could be your family. So that's something that, you know, keeps us going as Marines.”
Cassandra Ezerette’s new home is nearly completed. When she found out her family was approved, she said it was a wonderful moment.
“It was joy. It was joy,” she said, “A huge blessing. All I have three kids and I always wanted to put them in their own home and my dream is coming true.”
Buna Cumbie is the volunteer coordinator, and he showed off Cassandra’s nearly-finished house.
“Everything that comes in here is new. Like, a lot of times people will say, ‘Oh wait, so if I donate in my fridge or my oven or my microwave, will you put it in the Habitat home for me?’ But we don't do that,” he said. “Everything that gets put into the home is brand new under warranty because we don't want the homeowner to move in, then a year, two years down the road something breaks and now we've just cost burdened them.”
Applicants have to show that they are in need of better housing, that they can pay an affordable mortgage, and that they are willing to put effort toward homeownership. Habitat calls it “sweat equity” – working to build their own home, those of others, or to otherwise give volunteer hours to the organization.
Construction on Marc Thomas’ home two doors down from Cassandra’s began recently.
“When I went to the information meeting, they told me I had to volunteer 300 sweat equity hours and I thought I would never get that done. It was the most impossible thing to me, but it's just flying by,” he said.
Craven County Habitat for Humanity President Rose MacNeal said it’s not just about helping the homeowners but the neighborhood and the entire community.
“What we're trying to do here is build up the community, have a real presence of home ownership,” she said, “And home ownership creates stability and our mission is to bring people together to build homes, community and hope.”
Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976. Jeff Vaughn, an area builder, organized Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Bern in 1989, and the name was changed to Habitat for Humanity of Craven County NC in 2009. The organization serves Jones County as well.
