For Tinisha McHenry, home starts with love. McHenry’s love for her son was what kept her going while she built her home, and five others, through Habitat for Humanity.
Because she was involved with the build process, McHenry knew the ins and outs of the layout and design all along the way. The only thing she didn’t know was how it would be furnished — that question was answered Friday thanks to the Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation.
Habitat officially dedicated her home and handed over the keys last week.
“We came down Crabtree and my son saw the house standing there, and it finally all made sense to him. It made everything that I’ve done, the five houses prior to building my house, worth it. It’s all for him,” McHenry said.
But her journey didn’t stop there. The entire home was furnished Friday though the Foundation’s HUTS program.
The Foundation aims to provide disadvantaged families with “a hand up, not a hand out,” to improve their living conditions. With help from community partners, the Huts program secures beds, mattresses, bedding, and Bibles for each child. Many times they are also able to furnish living rooms and dining rooms.
Alma Randolph Crump said the two nonprofits had not worked together before.
“Getting to meet Jeremy through this project and partnering with Habitat was great. The house was ready, it just needed to be converted to a home, and that’s where HUTS comes in. We try to make it a home and I love it,” Randolph Crump said.
Both organizations hope to collaborate again in the future. Habitat Executive Director Jeremy Stephens said such partnerships are extremely important for nonprofits. He noted that some walls in the home were built by members of the Opportunity Center, a nonprofit for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, while the exterior walls were placed by Serve the Boro.
“It was such a blessing to have all of those people really demonstrate what we did in the very end partnering together to bless a person with their home,” Stephens said. “When those of us with common missions work together, the entire community benefits. This type of partnership shows the best in our organizations and allows us to use our strengths to better the world we live in. I am thrilled for Tinisha and her son to have a new home completely furnished with everything they will need to live a safe and comfortable life.”
