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Habitat seeks help for Castlegar build

14618castlegarHabitatForHumanityLot-WEB
The undeveloped lot to the right of white truck has been donated by the city to Habitat for Humanity for the charitable organization's first build in Castlegar. Habitat is looking for volunteers to help with its fundraising efforts.

The construction of a house for a Castlegar family in need is inching closer to reality, and Habitat for Humanity’s West Kootenay affiliation is hoping a fundraiser this Saturday will bring them even closer.

Starting at 6 p.m., the Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a sit-down dinner, which will by served by the Rotary Interact club at St. Rita’s Parish Hall.

On the menu is tiki shrimp, salad, chicken cordon bleu with baked potatoes and mousse cake for dessert.

Afterward, there will be a dance and raffle. Judy Dallas of St. Rita’s Parish said so far, raffle prizes include donations from grocery stores to clothing to fitness and wellness items.

Last year, the City of Castlegar donated a plot of land on 11th Avenue for a Habitat for Humanity build. Now, money is being raised for building supplies and other materials.

"We're almost halfway to our total required,” Chuck Henderson of Habitat for Humanity said. “We did get a grant from Kootenay Savings, so that's the main reason we're halfway there."

The build will hopefully start this spring but Henderson suspects it might be pushed to the summer.

Covering a large area of land, the West Kootenay affiliation moved their meetings to Castlegar to be closer to the community.

"The St. Rita’s church has allowed us always to use their hall for meetings,” Henderson said. “We decided it would be better to hold our meetings in Castlegar now because we're building a house in Castlegar."

Family applications for the new house will be available soon. Habitat for Humanity aims to give a “hand up, not a hand out” to families that are caught in the rent cycle.

Including property tax and insurance, the mortgage payments on a Habitat home can’t be more than 30 per cent of a family's gross monthly income.

Henderson said they have a lot of people that have volunteered to help build the house, but right now they’re in need of more volunteers to help raise funds.

"Our website is active and we're getting a lot of volunteer applications through our website," he said.

The West Kootenay affiliation of Habitat for Humanity started in 1996. Previous to the planned build in Castlegar, three homes were built in Nelson, including a duplex.

"It's important to us because we've never built a house in Castlegar,” Henderson said.

Tickets for this Saturday’s event are $30 and can be purchased from any Knights of Columbus member, any Habitat for Humanity member, at St. Rita’s Parish on Tuesday or Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or at Joey’s Only restaurant.

For more information about the event contact Judy at 250-304-2790. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, visit habitatwk.ca.