Established in 1987, the San Diego affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical organization that builds houses to sell to low-income families with a 25-to-30-year, no-interest mortgage. The local organization has recently completed their 67th home, and currently has plans for 45 more.

Habitat utilizes volunteers on-site building houses, as well as in its store Habitat ReStore, which provides low-price furnishings. I have spent a day at each site, and both experiences have been remarkable.

As soon as the supervisors see our group file in, they are full of smiles, offering granola bars and taking pizza orders for lunch. After splitting into smaller groups, we are wisked off to begin work; despite every head volunteer’s incessant friendliness, Habitat for Humanity is dependant on volunteers, and we are expected to accomplish plenty.

Admittedly unhandy myself, it always amazes me how much volunteers help in every aspect of building the homes. I have installed flooring, built cabinets, painted, secured roofs and used more power tools than I knew existed. And I get to work side-by-side with my teammates, making our efforts even more memorable, and a lot of fun.