This is Allie Wilson, Volunteer and Event Manager at Habitat Monterey Bay. With growing concern around COVID-19, we are facing new challenges every day. Our top priority right now is the health and safety of our staff, volunteers and the people we serve in our community. We miss our volunteers as much as you miss building homes with us! During this challenging time we are asking for a posture of maximum flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, including construction activity and ReStore operations. 

As we navigate through this period of social distancing and the “new normal,” Habitat is still hard at work. ReStores in Santa Cruz and Seaside are open for business, and our new eleven-home build site in the Live Oak neighborhood of Santa Cruz is underway! Once the infrastructure is complete, we will resume limited volunteer activity, per COVID-19 directives. We know that together we will get through these difficult times.

Grading and infrastructure are underway at the future home of Rodeo Creek Court! As you can see from the photos, earth movers have been clearing, grubbing, and grading the site in preparation for the plumbing and other infrastructure work to be done. We anticipate this work continuing through fall, with the groundbreaking on the first two homes some time in August. Stay tuned for more as the site develops!

We are looking forward to the time when we can welcome back our volunteers to the construction site, which depends on the infrastructure work as well as ever-changing COVID-19 regulations. To complete our volunteer interest form, visit our website here. Until then, you can contribute to this project with a gift of any size! Click the button below to donate to construction of the eleven homes at Rodeo Creek Court.

Our volunteers are the lifeblood of Habitat Monterey Bay programs. We could not build our homes without the dedicated and selfless support of hundreds of generous individuals. This quarter we honor and acknowledge one such dedicated individual, Frank Smith. Frank's contributions to Habitat Monterey Bay stretch back more than 15 years. He was a regular volunteer, not only building homes with Habitat, but building relationships, with other volunteers, staff, board members, and homeowners.

Former Habitat Monterey Bay Executive Director David Foster remembers, "When I first started with Habitat, Frank gave me a tour of some of the homes that had been completed over the years. At house after house as we pulled up, unannounced, family members would stream out of the homes to say hi to Frank. He was a very impressive guy."

We will always remember Frank, his lasting help, and his legacy with Habitat.

Owens Corning recently donated $20,000 worth of roofing materials and rigid foam for Rodeo Creek Court homes. Their work with Habitat affiliates across the country is part of a commitment to give back to the community by donating materials and volunteer hours. We are thrilled to be part of this partnership, and thank Owens Corning and all our in-kind donors for their generosity and support of affordable housing in our community and beyond. Read more about the partnership between Owens Corning and Habitat for Humanity here.

Habitat Monterey Bay has a new Director of Finance and Human Relations! This month we welcomed Teresa Delfino to the Habitat Monterey Bay family. Teresa has over fifteen years of experience working in Finance and HR functions, both in the for-profit and the non-profit world. Most recently she was the Controller for a beauty products company, where she managed the accounting, budgeting and payroll functions. Prior to that she spent seven years as the Finance & Administrative Services Manager for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency where she managed the accounting, budgeting, payroll and HR. We are very excited to be working with her, especially at the start of this new fiscal year!

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