Margaret and Virgil, both in their late seventies, desperately needed help cleaning up their yard and tearing down an old dilapidated garage. If something wasn’t done quickly, they would be in court facing an extensive fine and possible jail time. The City of Hutchinson’s Compliance Officer reached out to Jeff Thomson, Interfaith’s Director of Community Revitalization, seeking help for Margaret and Virgil. The timing was perfect--the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) group was already in town volunteering with Interfaith. With their help, Interfaith was able to tear down the garage and haul away the debris in a timeframe that satisfied the City’s requirements and kept Margaret and Virgil from facing any further legal action.
However, the story does not end there. While Jeff and the CASP volunteers were helping Margaret and Virgil, they discovered that Virgil frequently used a walker, which made it difficult for him to navigate the front steps of his home. Interfaith used funds from the Reno County Department of Aging, and CASP built a wheelchair ramp for Virgil, making it possible for him to get in and out of his home.
The story continues! As can be the case with many seniors living on Social Security, there were other issues with their home that needed to be addressed. Painting the exterior was one of them, so Margaret and Virgil enrolled in the City of Hutchinson Brush Up Hutch program, which provided the paint for the house. Jeff enlisted the help of the First Church of the Nazarene Youth Group, who stepped up and painted Margaret and Virgil’s home.
What a great example of the positive impact collaboration between different groups in our community can have on individuals’ lives, as well as their neighborhoods. Virgil said, “Margaret and I had lived in this home for decades but nearly lost it. Now we can live out our years right here.” Margaret and Virgil are Home for the Holidays.