Mepham students lend their hands to Habitat for Humanity

After raising $2,000 for Habitat for Humanity, a group of Mepham High School students recently spent a day working with the nonprofit organization to construct a home in Central Islip for a family in need. Josephine Parlagreco, a Mepham science teacher from Bellmore, is the high school’s Habitat for Humanity adviser.

Habitat for Humanity operates with a singular principle in mind –– “every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live.” The group builds homes for people in need, regardless of race or religion. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are among Habitat for Humanity’s most famous supporters, annually leading the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

Habitat for Humanity homes are “simple, decent and affordable to low-income families,” according to the organization. Volunteers construct the homes under trained supervisors. In the U.S., Habitat for Humanity lends no-profit, no-interest mortgage loans to its beneficiary families.

Nearly 2 billion people around the world live in slum housing, and over 100 million are homeless. Families left homeless by natural disasters, war and civil unrest often face dire housing situations as they struggle to rebuild their lives.