habitat happenings
March 2026
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35 Dallas Rd & Grace Point III Dedications
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In the final moment of every Habitat dedication, you see all the hands that made the homes possible: elected officials, corporate sponsors, staff, volunteers, faith leaders, neighbors, construction crews, and the future homeowner. Each hand played a major role in getting to this day where we celebrate as a community and witness the impact of love in action together.
This month, we dedicated four homes. On March 24, 2026, a new homeowner walked across the threshold of 35 Dallas Road, welcoming stability, safety, and permanence into her life and the life of her son. Days later, on March 26th, we gathered at Grace Point III in Middletown to celebrate three more families stepping into homes 323, 324, and 325. That's 325 homes in 40 years of building in New Castle County. The momentum is necessary and we refuse to stop.
For our new homeowners, this moment represents years of perseverance and partnership. Dennis described it perfectly: "It felt like I'd been running a 10k and finally made it to the finish line with a big crew cheering from the sideline."
One of our Grace Point III families, Tanya, welcomed her baby boy just two days before her dedication ceremony. We’ll celebrate her homeownership milestone at a later date, but her achievement is no less profound.
Each family invested hundreds of sweat equity hours, met rigorous requirements, and built their futures alongside volunteers, New Castle County community and county leaders, the Downtown Development District, Town of Middletown, DE, Bank of America, DE, Wells Fargo, the University of Delaware, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tricon Construction, Site Supervisor Eric Pichalski, Construction Manager Jason Williams, and dozens of community partners who refused to give up on this vision.
Together, we build on 40 years of impact.
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Eastside Rock(ed) the Block:
recap + rsvp to our next volunteer opportunity
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On Saturday, March 14th, more than seventy volunteers showed up on Wilmington's Eastside to transform a block. Together we prepped gardens, laid gravel, cleaned perimeters, and became partners with the shared belief that our block is worth the work.
Rock the Block is part of Eastside Thrive 2035, a 10-year community-driven plan to revitalize the Eastside. Created with local residents and supporters, this initiative builds affordable homes, renovates abandoned properties, and engages the community in beautification. Decent, affordable housing creates lives filled with possibility and progress. Rock the Block is one tangible way we're bringing that vision forward together.
We're excited to invite you to our next one- NE Rock the Block!
On Saturday, April 18th, join us at Brown-Burton Winchester Park (26th & N. Pine St.). Community cleanup runs 8:00am–10:30am, followed by a health and resource fair until 12:30pm. Free lunch provided.
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Women Build Week:
Servant Leadership in Action
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During Women Build Week, March 2-7, five incredible groups showed up to 1030 Bennett Street to build homes and build community. Thank you to NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), Bank of America, Barclays, Alpha Nu Sigma Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, and Whiting-Turner for being part of this vision.
Before heading to the build site, our women gathered for morning motivation huddles where they heard from leaders like Tracey Quillen Carney on servant leadership and from Mary Person, Miss Delaware, on the power of perseverance.
Did you know that women and children are most likely to be affected by poor living conditions? This week, women took proactive steps to change that. Together we celebrated at our Women Build Happy Hour, a networking event and the official kickoff of our reactivated Women Build Committee. The Women Build Committee is a dedicated group of women moving our vision of affordable home ownership forward after COVID-19 disrupted so much.
Stability starts with a home and we are grateful for every woman who picked up a drill to build one.
Interested in joining the Women Build Committee? Email devel...@habitatncc.org.
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| DO MORE 24 Delaware: 3x Thank You! | | |
On March 5-6, 2026, 29 generous donors contributed $2,170 to Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County's mission of affordable homeownership. We fell short of our $3,000 goal, but that's not the real story.
The real story is momentum. This year, we tripled our donations from Do More 24 2025.
Whether you gave, shared, commented, or simply showed up for the mission, you were part of this and your investment ripples into homes, health, education, and futures. Thank you!
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Global Village Build:
Habitat Volunteers in Guatemala
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Eleven volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County and Sussex, organized by Construction Manager Rachel, traveled to El Tejar, Chimaltenango, Guatemala from March 15-20. The team worked alongside eight families to improve living conditions in a region facing a significant housing deficit.
Monday through Wednesday, volunteers installed new concrete floors for six families. This single improvement provides cleaner homes, healthier children, and restored dignity. Thursday brought two more families smokeless stoves and the foundation for latrines, reducing respiratory illness and improving sanitation.
The group also participated in a Social Learning Exchange about Guatemala's cacao heritage and visited homes built during last year's trip. The week concluded with a farewell lunch where the city of El Tejar presented the group with a plaque honoring their partnership with the community.
As Habitat co-founder Millard Fuller once said, "Everyone needs a decent place to live." In El Tejar, that belief became concrete, floors, stoves, and lasting partnerships.
| | From Classroom to Construction Site:
Welcoming Job Corps Volunteers | | |
Construction students from Job Corps recently volunteered at the Urban Promise Staff House project, where they tackled real work: removing and replacing subfloor and trim. They walked on a real construction site, solved real technical problems, and contributed to a home that will house real families. What teams love most about team builds is the hands-on, learning-by-doing experience: building skill and community all at once.
Are you part of a team, company, or organization looking for a meaningful volunteer day? Bring your group to a Habitat team build. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Keilah Hanley at volu...@habitatncc.org or 302-652-0365 x103 to book your team day.
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When Yamaris stepped into her new home at Grace Point III, she faced the same reality every new homeowner does: how to furnish it.
That's where Habitat ReStore comes in. Our ReStore is a home improvement and furniture outlet where you can find quality furniture, appliances, building materials, and home goods at incredible prices. Every single dollar you spend goes directly back to Habitat's mission: helping families like Yamaris achieve stable, affordable homeownership.
This is the full circle. Yamaris invested sweat equity in our Habitat homeownership program and helped build her future. Now she shops at ReStore to furnish that future, knowing that every purchase supports the next family's journey.
When you shop, donate, or volunteer at ReStore, you're investing in affordable housing. You're completing the circle. Visit Habitat ReStore at Prices Corner or Middletown, or shop online.
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