A new ministry is starting at Northwood or should we say returning...

This is your chance to help local families have decent, affordable housing. Northwood will be joining with Pinellas Habitat for Humanity and help in building several homes in the coming months. Some right down the road in Dunedin. You do not need experience in building, just a willing heart. There is something everyone can do to help!

All volunteers will have to fill out a "Volunteer Response Form"  You can download and print one by Clicking Here  or pick one up in the church office. Please bring the completed form to the next meeting.

HABITAT UPDATE -- In January, the Safety Harbor house our Northwood Habitat for Humanity team worked on was completed and the family moved in.  We are now waiting for word on another Habitat house scheduled to be built in Tarpon Springs.  According to our contact at Pinellas Habitat for Humanity, the Tarpon Springs house is still in the permitting stage.  As soon as they have an anticipated start date, they will contact us with available work dates.  Once we have those work dates, will begin recruiting for volunteers.  Thank you. 

For more information contact:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR THE SATURDAY DATES?  Pick a first choice date and a second choice date and then e-mail or call Lisa Montagna or Jackie Kovilaritch.  Please give the name of each person signing up.  We have around 60 - 70 people who are interested in volunteering which means we may have a waiting list after we hit our max of 15 volunteers for each date.  We will do our best to rotate volunteers so everyone gets a chance to work at the Safety Harbor site.  The list will be posted here on the church web site. 

CAN I WORK AT THE SITE ON A DAY OTHER THAN SATURDAY?  Definitely!  Since we have so many volunteers, we would like to have a spot for everyone.  If your schedule permits, please consider working at the Safety Harbor house on another day of the week other than Saturday.  According to Robert Reeves from Pinellas Habitat for Humanity (PHFH), they are always looking for volunteers on any Wednesday.  You can either call Robert at 727-536-4755 ext 208 or e-mail him at Volunteer@phfh.org if you want to check ahead of time.  You can also Click Here for updates.  The site is updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Work is done at the Safety Harbor house on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

CAN I BRING MY TEEN TO THE SITE?  Yes, as long as they are 16 or older.  The minimum age for teenagers to work at the site is 16.  They are only allowed on the site when ground level activities are scheduled.  They are not allowed on the site if power tools or ladders are being used.  You can go ahead and sign your teenager up for a specific date (please note that when you contact us) and if we learn the week prior that power tools or ladders are being used, we will notify you and take him or her off the list.  Children between 14 and 15 are not permitted on the construction site even to deliver lunch.  The only exception for 14 - 15 year-olds is landscaping or painting.  If we learn that landscaping or painting is being done on a specific date, we will update the church site with that information. 

CAN I BRING MY OWN TOOLS?  Yes.  If you have a favorite tool belt or hammer or any other tool, you are more than welcome to bring it to the site.  Be sure to LABEL it with your name.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING?  The rule is to dress comfortably.  Shorts are okay.  Footwear is key.  Wear a closed toe, closed heel shoe.  No sandals or flip flops.  Wear a hat and sunscreen and bring more to re-apply.  Drink plenty of water.  You can bring your own.  Although some water is provided by Habitat, we recommend you bring your own bottles of water or non-alcoholic beverages..  They will have work gloves and goggles at the site as well, but again, you are welcome to bring your own -- just be sure to LABEL them.  A group of members have volunteered to prepare lunch for the Saturdays we are scheduled to be out at the Safety Harbor house.  We will update the church site letting you know if lunch will be prepared by these members.  If not, then you will need to bring your own lunch. 

WHAT IF IT IS RAINING/STORMING?  It may depend what construction is scheduled for that day.  If it is all inside, then we are probably still on.  But, if outside activities are scheduled, it could be called off.  The best way to be certain is to call PHFH at 536-4755 that morning and listen to the taped recording.  Also, the site supervisor will have everyone's contact information so you may receive an early call letting you know if the work that day has been canceled.  You can also call Lisa Montagna or Jackie Kovilaritch and they should have the most updated information.

WHAT TIME SHOULD I SHOW UP AND WHEN CAN I LEAVE?  Be there at 8 a.m. sharp.  A safety briefing will begin right at 8 a.m. followed by a short invocation. Most work days run for about 4 hours, but there is a possibility of staying longer -though no later than 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.  Please be flexible. However, if the weather is extremely hot and everyone is looking exhausted, the site supervisor may decide to wrap things up earlier than that.

Pinellas Habitat for Humanity is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged. Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual, faith community, civic organizations, and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses. Partner families themselves invest hundreds of hours of labor - 'sweat equity' - into building their homes and the homes of others. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build still more houses. Our affiliate serves the whole of Pinellas County, Florida from main offices in St. Petersburg and a North County office in Dunedin; including, among others, the cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Oldsmar, and Ozona. PHfH is governed by a board of volunteer directors who represent the various and vital interests of our community, and who bring to the organization essential competence in law, architecture, finance, and social service, and who are fervently committed to Habitat's goal of eliminating poverty housing by building decent, affordable homes for the needy of Pinellas County communities.

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