Saturday was all about lending a helping hand and "trying to clean up our corner of the world," said Steve Rose, Director of Saint Ann Cares.
That’s exactly what the group from the Church of Saint Ann in Avon participating in Spring Home Front Days was looking to do.
Home Front is a community-based program that seeks to keep low-income homeowners in their homes by providing substantial repairs for free. Volunteers come together every spring and fall to tackle more than 70 individual home repairs.
"Today the major focus is to paint the exterior of the house. We’re also doing a little bit of repair, fix some shingles, make the railing secure and do some landscaping," said Rose.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
But for the volunteers, the day's work is more than just a paint job, "Helping our neighbor and that’s what we were taught at church, to go out and reach out to our neighbors," said Rose.
It also meant a lot to the homeowner. "People that care, it's just wonderful to have them here."
Tonya Rose is a long-time Hartford resident and explained the deeper meaning of receiving a helping hand.
Local
"It means a lot because I’ve been in this area since the '90s and it’s not easy every day to keep up with everything," Tonya added.
"This has definitely changed my life because I’m a single mom like I said and I’m hard working and sometimes you don’t have that extra money to do paint jobs or repairs or things like that," Tonya said.
And for her, this means more than just a fixed home. "Definitely an answered prayer. I'm just so happy."
