Local college students often arrive in groups for the evening to call and explain that this year’s donations will be used to purchase building materials for the fifth home in the Milton development. The final two homes of this five-home project will be built this summer.  The amount of money we raise has a direct impact on how many homes we can build in a year, but the other challenge is finding affordable property in Chittenden County and a volunteer to serve as house director.

In the course of the evening, a number of challenges evolve to see who secures the highest monetary amount of pledges. Prizes are donated from Ben and Jerry’s and local movie theaters, for example. In addition, pizza, drinks and fruit are available to keep volunteers happy and fed during their three-hour shift. While volunteers are busy on the phone, a second group sits in the conference room, taking all the pledge sheets from the callers; filling out letters and addressing (and stamping) envelopes.

Over the years, the operation has become quite stream-lined. Both productive and fun, this is an event that requests at least twelve volunteers each night. TO VOLUNTEER: click on the green VOLUNTEER button on the website. You are welcome to help one, three nights or any combination of nights; you are also welcome to bring friends to help as well! Each night starts with a few brief introductory instructions—what we are trying to do, the tools needed to help out.

Donations are continually recycled, in that all mortgage payments received by GMHFH go back into the next home being built.