PICTOU
Fifty safety glasses were donated to Pictou County’s chapter of Habitat Humanity Wednesday so volunteers will be safe when work begins on a home in 2019.
Nolan Chisholm of Scotsburn, in partnership with MacGregor’s Custom Machining and S. Stewart’s Excavation and Construction, presented Habitat for Humanity Pictou County Chair Danny MacGillivray with the glasses, to be used during the first build, which is expected to place during next year’s construction season.
Habitat for Humanity Pictou County chapter is currently in the process of collecting household items that will be put up for sale from June 1 to 15 to raise money for the organization. The sale will take place at the Habitat for Humanity site at 24 Front St., Pictou, located beside Canada Post which is wheelchair accessible.
Scrap metal is also being accepted or people can drop off metal at Bill Stewart’s Scrap Metal and Enviro Depot in the name of Habitat for Humanity.
Donations can be made by dropping in to the centre in the afternoons or by contacting the group through its Facebook page. There will be a drop-off location at the Highland Square Mall parking lot on May 26.
A community fundraising event is planned for June 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the centre’s site and it will include a barbecue, live entertainment and silent auction.
More fundraisers will be scheduled in the future as the Pictou County organization works to raise the $150,000 needed to build its first home in the county.
The Habitat for Humanity projects brings volunteers together to build houses for people who might not be able to afford one. They aren’t free, however, and MacGillivray describes it as a hand-up, not a handout.
The way it works is that people who might not be able to get a traditional mortgage from a bank are given a mortgage through Habitat that costs about 30 per cent of their gross income. They’re able to do it for the lower price because of the volunteer work that goes into building the homes as well as corporate and community contributions.
Updates on the sale items will be available at group’s Facebook page at Habitat NS Pictou County as well as upcoming fundraisers. Volunteers will also be at the New Glasgow Farmer’s Market Saturday to share information.
