Homeowners Mary and Jorge were recently blessed with a baby. Between the demands of parenthood and the struggles of living on a fixed income, they were unable to afford and keep up with maintaining their home and were in need of landscaping assistance. Thanks to the hard work of two student groups from UCR, they now have a beautiful front yard they can be proud of!

Students from UCR AMSA and UCR Sigma Pi Alpha teamed up on Saturday, January 16th at the Santiago Estates Mobile Home Park in Moreno Valley to find an epmpty yard, a pile of shovels and rakes, a wheelbarrow , and a dump truck of rock and gravel. Their task for the day was to first lay out a weed barrier over the ground, then transport and spread the rock on the front and side yard.

Most of the volunteers were volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for the first time and none of them had ever done a project like this. . This was the first time any of them had attempted to lay out a weed barrier. Volunteers had to first make sure the area was cleared and flat, then spread out the fabric to cover the entire area the rocks would cover. This barrier will help prevent weeds from coming through the rock overlay, keeping the yard low maintenance for the homeowners.

  

After the weed barrier was laid and the rock was dumped, volunteers delegated who would shovel the rock, who would push the wheel barrel, and who would rake the rock to create an even surface. A few volunteers had trouble transporting the rock at first, but after encouragement and helpful hints from the team, the entire team was moving the rocks like pros!

Overall, the two teams displayed a great amount of teamwork and did a fabulous job!  “You will never find true fulfillment unless you are doing the Lord’s work, I leave here every day feeling tired but happy!”  stated Heather while reflecting about volunteering. We appreciate the hard work these groups put into this project, thank you UCR AMSA and UCR Sigma Pi Alpha!

 

Habitat for Humanity Riverside’s A Brush with Kindness program is an exterior home preservation program providing painting, landscaping, and minor repair services. The program focuses on assisting low-income homeowners impacted by age, disability or family circumstances who are struggling to maintain the exterior of their homes. Our amazing volunteers are the key to our ability to provide these services in our local communities.