Thirteen volunteers, all from other areas of California, joined the 11 long term volunteers in Merced, CA, the week of January 5 – 10, 2025. This was the opening week of the project. Habitat for Humanity had finished the preliminary work in several homes in Planada where flood had destroyed 80% of the town exactly 2 years ago this week. A variety of repairs and replacements were done in these homes, including replacing and repairing doors and floors, a closet was built, many walls and doors were painted, and some fixtures were replaced. Evening reports were often filled with conversations between clients and MDS volunteers. The trauma wasn’t always evident as we drove up to the houses, but it was evident inside the home and inside the victim. Habitat continues to make strides in completing necessary steps day by day, opening up more houses for MDS’ work.
