Members and HBAs Continue Helping Communities Respond to COVID-19

Members of the home building industry are using their unique skills and expertise to help local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second in series of posts showcasing those efforts and sharing positive news during this challenging time.

3-D Masks for First Responders

Montana Building Industry Association member Missoula’s Mostad Construction Inc. helped first responders in their area by making and delivering 30, 3-D masks to the Missoula County Sherriff’s Department. Fifty more masks are expected to be delivered soon to other area first responders in need. “As construction workers in Montana, we’re considered essential, and this is a way for us to give back to the community that is supporting us,” the company’s Loren Mostad said.

Mostad Construction purchased the 3-D printers in order to make the masks after being inspired by another Montana company that had done the same.

Portable Buildings for the Homeless

Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans member Warren Davie of Davie Shoring Inc. donated five portable buildings to local nonprofit the New Orleans Mission for use by the city’s homeless population. The 768-square-foot buildings were previously used as classrooms following Hurricane Katrina and were slated for demolition before Davie, a volunteer at the mission, acquired, salvaged, and relocated them for the donation.

The buildings will be outfitted with bathrooms and other services for immediate use, and can be used as quarantine spaces as the number of COVID-19 patients from the homeless population grows. Davie and the HBA reached out to local electricians and plumbers for help on the project.

Equipment for Medical Professionals

McKinley Homes LLC of Peachtree Corners, Ga., donated 5,000 surgical masks to Northside Hospital Gwinnett, and 5,000 surgical masks and 500 N95 masks to Emory University Hospital. “Our hope is this donation of medical grade and N95 face masks helps to protect our front-line medical professionals who are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of metro Atlantans. This is our way of giving back to the community that supports our livelihood,” McKinley Homes President Jinsong Yang said.

More than a dozen members of the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Central Connecticut donated 60 rolls of Tyvek house wrap, enough to make 146 cases or 1,300 individual protective gowns, to area insulation manufacturer Thermaxx LLC. The gowns were donated to 47 area hospitals, firefighters and ambulance squads.

Thermaxx converted its production facility in West Haven, Conn., to make disposable gowns for healthcare professionals and first responders. The company also provides a “do it yourself” gown how-to guide to allow individuals, families and other manufacturing facilities to help in the fight.

Council members of the Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association in Maryville, Ill., built and donated more than a dozen intubation boxes to area hospitals in and around Belleville. Lumber was donated from members Liese Lumber and R.P. Lumber and production was done by Bobby Robinson & Ken Heidbreder, of Fulford Home Remodeling.

Honoring Our Healthcare Heroes

Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association member Sand Star Remodeling & Interior Design is holding a special contest to honor an area healthcare worker. One “Healthcare Hero” dedicated to the COVID-19 fight in Charlotte County, Fla., will receive a bathroom renovation worth up to $10,000. The contest to nominate a worker is open through May 4.

Share Your Stories

These are just a few examples of the countless ways our members and HBAs are serving their communities. We’d like to continue highlighting these efforts around the country. If you or your HBA has been helping your community, please email your story to us at [email protected].