AMESBURY — Anyone willing to offer some time or an extra pair of hands to aid with household repairs may want to call All Saints Anglican Church.
The church, which opened in Amesbury last fall, is starting a free or low-cost home repair project for households in town with families in need. They have partnered with the Community United Methodist Church in Byfield.
All Saints' pastor, the Rev. Michael Morse, said the churches are modeling the project after a similar program in Maine. The churches have spent the last five years volunteering with Weald Bethel Ministries of Maine Seacoast Mission where volunteers have performed numerous home repair tasks and projects, including plumbing work, painting, roof repairs, floor installation, replacing windows, minor carpentry and gutter fixes.
"We're using that as a template for what we hope to do locally," Morse said.
All Saints will be working with Amesbury's Council on Aging and Community Action Inc. to learn more about individuals and families in Amesbury who could use assistance.
The goal of the church is to provide the labor at no cost and raise some or all of the funds for the supplies. "We may do some fundraisers after the fact," Morse said. The names of the homeowners who use the program will be confidential.
About 15 to 20 individuals from the two churches have already expressed an interest in volunteering, Morse said.
Anyone wishing to volunteer, regardless of skill level, is invited to participate, Morse said. In the Maine program, more than half of the volunteers are teens or adults without training in home repairs.
"As long as we have some skilled adults, we're able to do the projects," Morse said.
Other church groups in the Merrimack Valley have similar programs, Morse said. It's his goal that it will grow in Amesbury and the surrounding area.
"I really hope and expect that this will grow and expand," Morse said. "I hope this will have legs and this will pick up and other people will do it. This is not a new idea. It's new to us, but it is not a new idea."
The churches hope to organize four weekends throughout the year when the volunteers will perform repair projects. The first volunteer day is Saturday, Aug. 2. Morse said the group could travel to between three or four work sites that day.
Interested volunteers can contact the Rev. Michael Morse at All Saints at 978-388-0009 or e-mail him at mmorse@allsaintsamesbury.org.
