On November 8th, St. Paul's once again fielded a team to work on Habitat for Humanity's Salem project. Our team members were: Carl Ogren, Samantha Ogren, Ken Rosenthal, Judi Ryan, Barbara Savage, Kevin Scheeler, Dick Shafner, and Yi Zheng. Yi joined us from the Lynnfield community. 

Even though rain threatened the whole time and most of our work was outside we made noticible progress. Today's activities were: installing a window, installing siding, and cutting skylights in the roof. It is amazing what a small army of volunteers can accomplish with a little inspiration and guidance. I think it fair to say that it was a rewarding time for all and no injuries (except sore muscles) were reported. The owner families treated us to a lunch of chicken, plantains, rice and beans. 

The Salem project is a two unit condominium that will be home for a Vietnamese family and a Dominican family. Each of these families has two children. The units are each three floors: first, a bathroom, a living area and a kitchen; second, a full bath and three bedrooms; and third, a roof sitting and garden area deck. In addition to providing some mortgage funding, Habitat for Humanity requires that these families provide some sweat-equity in the project, working along side the volunteers.