Picture Left to Right: Jean Javier (Habitat), Troy Legree (OPUS), Thomas Fischer (Habitat)
Picture a typical cold, grey, snowy Canadian morning where you just want to stay cozy, on the couch, under a blanket, binge-watching Netflix with a nice hot drink. Unfortunately, many Canadians do not have this luxury. As builders, we knew we had to do something to help.
At OPUS Homes, we’ve always done what we can to support local charities through our Families Helping Families program. However, OPUS Homes Labourer, Troy Legree saw an opportunity to help even more. When we order supplies for our projects, there inevitably ends up being some extra materials left over (eg. lumber, fixtures, windows). Sometimes, they are used at other sites, but many times these pieces end up discarded.
“Even though OPUS Homes has always felt like a big family to me, I was surprised at how receptive the team was to my idea,” said Troy.
Having lived and worked across Ontario, Troy was aware of the struggles that many aboriginal communities face, and saw an opportunity where others saw scrap. His solution? Donate the extra materials to the Habitat for Humanity (HFH) ReStore initiative, and that is exactly what we did!
Troy proudly recalls, “A couple of the guys and I came out Saturday to sort and store everything we were donating. It’s important to give back to those in need and today showed me that our team doesn’t just build homes, we build communities”.
“I’ve been with Habitat for 13 years and I’ve seen, first-hand, how homeownership has allowed families to achieve better stability and break the cycle of poverty.” explained Thomas Fischer, Vice President of Regional development for Habitat For Humanity.
He continued; “I can always tell when a company has a philanthropic heart because even if they don’t know exactly how they can help, they immediately say ‘let’s get together and figure out how we can help you.’ It’s this kind of generosity that helps us continue our mission”.
OPUS Homes’ Families Helping Families, means caring about one another, and helping those in need. We encourage that spirit of generosity and challenge our readers to donate their time and skills to the building of Habitat homes and support the operation of their ReStore locations.
Visit Habitat Canada’s website at www.habitat.ca to find your nearest affiliate, or contact Thomas Fischer at Habitat for Humanity GTA (thomas.fischer@habitatgta.ca) for details on how you can get involved.
