Gordon College Builds with Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity North Shore partners with several organizations and colleges in the Boston area, including Tufts, Harvard, and Salem State, to construct homes for future homeowners. This year, first-year AJ Fellows and their upperclassmen leaders served alongside future homeowners and expert construction workers at build sites in Peabody and Danvers. Students served by laying insulation, cutting wood for walls, building stairs and doorways, and painting the interior of the home.

The mission of Habitat for Humanity, Inc. is to “put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.” Habitat for Humanity North Shore, one of the 1400 local affiliates within the United States, has been serving the needs of low-income families on the North Shore since its founding in 1985. The program intentionally brings together various members and groups within the community, including colleges, universities, churches, corporations, and individuals, to construct homes alongside future homeowners. Homes are sold to families at an affordable cost, with no interest.

The service day allowed first-year AJ Fellows to explore topics of service and community development. Ryan Hein, a first-year student, shares about how his experience challenged his idea of community, the poor, and service. Ryan shares,

“It would have been so easy to go in, serve the faceless 'poor', and get out, but this turned that notion on its head. The family who we were building the house for was not 'poor' or 'homeless' like the labels often generalize, but rather they were people who needed a hand, and there they were serving right beside you. Along with this, we were serving next to other people from the community that had signed up to serve. That really embedded an understanding of the surrounding community to serve alongside guys that come out every weekend to work on this house. Nothing was forced or faked, but a group of random people came together to work on a house, and community closely followed.”

Gordon College is excited for future opportunities to serve at Habitat for Humanity, North Shore. For more information on how to serve with Habitat through a Gordon team, please contact Hannah Schundler.

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