Sunpro recently donated over $9,000 in building materials to the non-profit organization Hands on Hope to assist in the construction and remodel of two homes in Mexico.
In addition to building materials, three employees from Clyde Companies traveled south of the border to assist in the building process: James Lowe and Joseph Holman from Sunpro’s door shop and Scott Folsom from Clyde Companies’ headquarters.
The first project was the construction of a home for a family of six. Senorina Clavario and her five children were renting a house too small for their large family. Despite financial challenges, the household diligently saved money for a plot of land to build on.
The Clavario family paid for the materials and installation of the home’s concrete slab foundation, and the Hands on Hope volunteers took care of the rest. With help from a rotation of skilled construction volunteers such as those from Sunpro, the new home took less than four days to finish.
Complete with a loft with space for four single beds, two downstairs sleeping areas, a kitchen, a living area, a separate outhouse, and a new doghouse, the finished house is four times larger than their current rental home.
Additionally, a solar lighting system was donated that included backup batteries and an inverter. The Clavarios were particularly surprised by this addition since there is no electric power accessible in their neighborhood. Volunteers also stocked the new home with a variety of household items – another unexpected addition.
The Clavarios now have one of the nicest homes in the area.
The second Hands on Hope project was the reconstruction of a home for a family of 14. Tomas and Sabina Serapio are taking care of 12 grandchildren after raising 10 children of their own, and their house was in dire need of repairs.
For this project, the initial plan was to replace a 14’x16’ section of leaking roof; however, extensive damage was found throughout, so plans were upgraded to replace a larger 65’x16’ area instead.
Further additions for this remodel included a new bath house, laundry area, kitchen counters, and two sets of bunk beds – complete with new mattresses and bedding. Previously, there weren’t enough beds for each of the children. Volunteers also stocked the home with various other household items.
The Serapios were overjoyed to see the addition of laying hens to provide food and some income from selling eggs. Tomas was pleased to be given a new adult-sized tricycle with a basket to help sell the eggs around the community.
Both the Clavario and Serapio families will be forever grateful for Sunpro’s building materials donation and the time that Clyde Companies employees spent in the construction and remodel of their homes.
