Team MacDill supporting Habitat for Humanity

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephenie Wade
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AFB, Fla --  More than 50 team MacDill members suited up last week in their yellow hard hats, working gloves and big protective eye glasses, in support of Habitat for Humanity. 

Recently, MacDill broke ground on the new housing privatization project. 

In order to complete the new housing we had to tear down the old housing first, but what happened to all those materials in the old housing? 

That is where Habitat for Humanity became involved. 

Habitat for Humanity is an international non-profit organization that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness in the world by making decent shelter through conscience and action of those who volunteer for the effort. 

Habitat for Humanity would not be possible without the volunteers and donated materials. 

MacDill has come together with Clarke Reality to provide Habitat for Humanity with materials to reuse and resale in the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. MacDill supplied them with a truck load a day for four days of the items that are salvageable. 

In fact, Clarke Reality Capitol came up with the idea to donate the items to Habitat for Humanity. "We have worked successfully with Habitat for Humanity all over the country on our various projects," Rick Brauer, Senior Superintendent, Clark Realty.


Clarke Reality Capitol is in charge of the development, design construction and assets of the new housing project that will be located on base in place of the old housing. 

"Through the demolition process we try to recycle as much materials as possible." said Mr. Brauer.

 The estimate of items removed was around $10,000 worth of materials and saved 15,000 pounds of wasted from going to a landfill according to the Habitat.

"The project of collecting donated appliances and building materials from our old base housing is helping H4H in ways that go beyond just providing manpower," said Technical Sgt. Douglas Tupper, 6th Communications Squadron Communication Project 
Manager and Habitat for Humanity representative for MacDill. 

"It's important to let the local community know that the Air Force is concerned about their welfare locally and what better way to do it than by physically getting involved." 

It also gives the Airman on MacDill a chance to support the community and help those in need. 

The donated items collected will be sold at greatly reduced prices at their ReStore which is open to the public. 
"The materials are a great help to the ReStore," said Marty Zickgraf, ReStore manager for H4H Hillsborough County. 

"The funds we generate are instrumental in paying the overhead of a non-profit like Habitat. Our sales keep the lights on, pay for insurance and keep our vehicles on the road. All the necessary overhead we need to keep fulfilling our mission: providing homeownership opportunities to low income families in the Tampa area," he said. 

He went on to add, "It's always a pleasure to work with personnel from MacDill. Their energy and motivation are unmatched by any volunteer group I can think of."

With the safety gear provided by the H4H, materials by Clarke reality and manpower from MacDill, this opportunity to support our community would not have been possible without the effort provided by everyone this week.