The pounding of nails ratcheted up the volume level Wednesday in the south parking lot of Hammond’s Home Depot.
About 40 orange T-shirted Home Depot employees from about 10 Indiana and Illinois stores assembled wall panels for a Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana homeowner who is an Army veteran.
During the day, Home Depot team members built the home’s interior and exterior walls, working with Habitat team members.
The framed walls were transported to the home site in Lake Station, where Habitat of NWI has built several other homes.
This future three-bedroom home will be occupied by homeowner Dora Montiero, of East Chicago, and her two daughters. Montiero couldn’t be at the site Wednesday because she was at work as a transportation coordinator for the Gary Community School Corp.
Her daughter Sonia Olavarria, 24, said her mom served in an airborne division of the Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“This house will be closer to her work,” she said.
She said her mom and other family members assisted Habitat in the construction of a Lake Station home on the same block two weeks ago.
Habitat homeowners are required to put in “sweat equity” hours as part of their contract with the organization.
Ryne Wheatley, manager of the Hammond Home Depot, said the Home Depot foundation purchased all the framing materials used to build the walls.
“This is good for team building and giving back to the community,” he said.
In 2011, he said the foundation pledged $500 million to veterans’ causes and plans to expand the pledge to $700 million by 2030.
“It’s part of our culture. There’s been no problem getting volunteers,” he said.
Amy Radolak, of Hammond, is a sales specialist and she joined Home Depot after gutting and renovating her Hammond home with her husband.
“I believe in the Home Depot core values,” she said. “This is my first Habitat build. My dad and grandfather were both in the military.”
Habitat head carpenter Jeff Freemantle said the work went smoothly.
“It’s great to get to know each other and this home is being built for a veteran,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
To learn more about Habitat, visit: www.habitatnwi.org
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
