Winkler’s fire trucks rolled out en masse to Makena Way last Wednesday night.
Upon arriving on the scene, firefighters leapt into action and got the front and backyard sod for the latest Habitat for Humanity house laid in record time.
“We wanted to come out and help support the community and support the family that’s moving in here,” explained firefighter Chris Kalansky.
Wednesday night is the department’s weekly training night, so taking some time to have firefighters do a bit of hard labour fit right in.
Habitat for Humanity’s Christina Falk said their help was most welcome as the build hits its final weeks.
“Chris Kalansky sent us a message on Facebook and said, ‘Is there anything we can do? We’ve got the manpower.’ I have to say, I never expected this many. This is so amazing.”
From the time a firefighter picked up the first piece of sod to the moment the last was laid was just 39 minutes. They then used the pumper truck to give the yard its first watering.
It’s another big step towards the project’s completion, Falk said.
“It’s basically finished inside. It’s unreal” how fast it all came together, she said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had [sod] done when we’ve had a family move in, because we are often into the winter and we have to wait to do it later.”
Ground was broken on the project in late May, and it was expected then it could take until December to finish. Habitat now expects to be able to hand the keys over to the family by the end of October.
“The big thing this time around was the number of trades that came to offer their services,” Falk said. “Many of them did labour for free, or at a super discount. We always have some of those, but this time it was a lot and it was just amazing.”
Habitat for Humanity offers families a zero per cent mortgage with payments geared towards their income level. No down payment is required.
Thanks to fundraising and corporate support, the mortgage payments from one project help Habitat build future houses. The Morden-Winkler chapter has been able to build several in both communities in recent years, giving a helping hand to families who might not otherwise have been able to achieve home ownership.
Eagerly awaiting the go-ahead to move into this latest Winkler build are Congolese immigrants Binwa and Ruth and their three children.
“I am so happy—I don’t even know how to say [it] but you can see how I’m smiling,” said an exuberant Binwa as the final pieces of sod were laid last week.
The whole family is “very excited to move,” he shared, adding they’ve been humbled by the number of volunteers and industry professionals who have rallied to get the house built so quickly.
Falk noted the family have been helping out with the build throughout, but now, as the project hits the home stretch, they aren’t letting them inside the house.
“Binwa’s had been coming every day to help clean up, every day after work, but we got to the stage right before we were going to put in the flooring in the kitchen and I just said, yeah, get out!” she said, laughing. “We want the rest to be a surprise for them.”
