Our Gulf Coast Commitment:

Survivors of the 2005 hurricanes tell time simply: Everything happened “before the storm” or “after the storm”. Katrina has become the line of demarcation between normal life and now, between living and simply surviving.

Five years later, the destruction of property and the displacement of human beings feel surprisingly raw. And yet, the sense of hope is palpable.   Within weeks after Hurricane Katrina barreled across the Gulf Coast, Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates had started building houses and rebuilding lives.

The commitment has only grown stronger and deeper. With the help of tens of thousands of volunteers, more than 2,200 homes have already been built or are under construction in the Gulf Coast Recovery Program in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

Still, there is much work to be done. Each month, Habitat affiliates and volunteers start working on 52 more homes. For perspective, consider that before the storm, Habitat built 57 homes a year along the Gulf Coast.

Since 2006, Paterson Habitat has tithed over $86,000 and helped organize construction teams to go to the Gulf Coast twice a year to help in the relief efforts.

Here are photos and stories by our volunteers who have traveled to the Gulf Coast to lend a hand in the relief efforts.

Upcoming Trips:

February 13-17, 2012      Bay St. Louis, MS  

For more information about Gulf Coast trips please contact: Pat Sisti (973) 595-6868 xt. 106 or email pat@patersonhabitat.org