Wielding hammers and nails, dozens of Ball State University students joined a crew from Habitat for Humanity to help build a home for a Muncie family.
Members of Panhellenic Council and other students gathered in a Muncie neighborhood to work on a house's foundation on Saturday.
Muncie resident William Keith Nash said friends got him involved with Habitat for Humanity.
Nash said he and his wife have 10 sons, seven of whom still live at home. The family lives with relatives in a 10 bedroom house, but that family also has five children of their own, he said.
"Habitat for Humanity is a blessing; it's a blessing," Nash said. "The students are unbelievable ... We had to force them to stop to take lunch."
Alicia Pickett, member of Kappa Alpha Beta sorority, said she and her friends enjoyed the project.
"A lot of student organizations have you volunteer so many hours, and it's a blast," she said.
Construction Director Martin Brown said almost too many volunteers showed up. He almost ran out of jobs for people to do, he said.
The five-bedroom house is the seventh house Habitat for Humanity has built this year, Brown said. The organization wants to complete it by Thanksgiving, Brown said.
Members of the foundation work throughout the week, but students often volunteer their time on the weekends, Brown said.
"We very rarely have to solicit volunteers," he said. "A good proportion of them come from Ball State, but we get people from all walks of life."
After giving away a home, Habitat for Humanity also owns the mortgage, Brown said. The family that moves into the house pays the foundation during a 20-year time span, he said.
The foundation receives the rest of its funding from donations, and it receives no federal aid, Brown said.
Habitat for Humanity plans to build 10 houses next year, Brown said.
About Habitat for Humanity
- Habitat for Humanity has built more than 225,000 homes around the world
- Houses may cost anywhere from $800 to $65,000 depending on the location
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