The Natchez-Adams County affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, a United Way agency, is proud to announce that Andrea Lloyd and her two children will be moving into their new home very soon. There will be a formal dedication ceremony at the house at 2 p.m. Sunday, at 11 Garden St. At this time the keys to their home will be officially presented to the Lloyd family.

This year has been very important to Habitat as we are celebrating our 25th anniversary of building homes in Natchez.  We extend special thanks to the donors who contributed during this special fund raising period. And once again the Belk store sponsored charity day sale generated thousands of dollars for Habitat.

All financial donors, volunteer workers, other Habitat homeowners, city officials and the general public are invited to come to the dedication ceremony. Please come and see the emotional impact a new home can have on the family. To find Garden Street, go north on Union Street to the Children’s Home, take a right on Bishop Streetand then take the first left onto Garden Street. There is off-street parking at the vacant lot next door.

Construction of this house started back in November 2015 and was built primarily with volunteer labor; 50 different volunteers spent the equivalent of more than 380 workdays to finish the house in about twelve months. Included in this total are the 250 hours worked by the Lloyd family as a certain number of “sweat equity” (actual work time) hours is a requirement strictly imposed by Habitat.

A very special thank you to those who provided their expertise free of charge or at a substantial discount. These include Lee Scott Construction (electrical), Scooter Cauthern (dug foundation and driveway), Chuck Golden (flooring installation), J&J Carpet (flooring), Robert Fuller Roofing Company, and Bob Longmire’s Buffalo Sod Farm (pallets of  sod).

We cannot forget all the volunteer groups that helped throughout the process: St. Mary Basilica and Grace United Methodist, Rotary Club and Delta Sigma Theta sorority. And a special thanks to the Mormon youth who are in the Natchez area on their 2-year mission trip. This group put in 500 hours on the house.

Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Habitat has built more than 1,000,000 houses and more than 5 million people are living in Habitat homes they helped build and are now buying through no-profit, zero-interest mortgages.  Here in Natchez the local affiliate is completing its twentieth house since its organization in 1991.

If you wish to make a financial contribution, donate construction materials, receive an application for a Habitat home, or volunteer to work on the next house, you may contact Habitat for Humanity by calling 601-445-8639, 601-807-4956, or by writing to P.O. Box 100, Natchez, MS. 39121.
Duncam McFarlane is the  secretary and treasurer for the Natchez-Adams County affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.