Work Day Basics

Saturday is the most common workday (after our Blitz Build week) - and it takes many Saturdays to finish everything in the house so that our partner family can actually move in! For regularly scheduled Saturdays, volunteers are asked to be at the site at 8:00am and we usually work until about 3pm. If you can’t stay for the full day, that’s okay. As long as you can give us at least ½ a day, that usually works fine for us.

During the regular build schedule, we always hope for some volunteers like scout troops, church or other community “cooks” who will bring lunch for the team. If you know someone or group like that, let us know. If lunch doesn’t show up when you are volunteering, there are nearby delis and pizza places - we haven’t lost any volunteers to starvation yet!

We also have a porta-san to accommodate our team members. It’s not luxurious, but it works!

We insist on sturdy shoes - please don’t wear sneakers or thin-soled shoes. It just isn’t safe on a construction work site. Dress for the weather but consider safety, too. It will be warm during the summer work, but shorts and light summer clothes won’t protect against cuts and scrapes. Sturdy jeans and an old shirt are the best bet. Our work is dirty but fun! 

Notes about the build tools: Some people have favorite tools, and they are welcome to bring them along. We don’t have a lot of tools, so we can always use people with their own. However, be sure to make or label your own tools unless you want to donate them to Habitat. It is awfully easy for things to be misplaced or forgotten during the workday. 

SAFETY: We have some basic first aid supplies for minor injuries, but we really ask everyone to work safely and avoid risks. We carry basic insurance in the event of accidents - but again, we urge safety first at all times. And we also require that all volunteers read and sign:

Youth United Parental Permission Form

Release Form and Safety Notice (at the site).

Youth United Volunteers:

State law in New Jersey does not permit anyone under the age of 18 working on a construction site, where any power tools are in use.

Youth United teams, younger than the age of 16, may help clear the site and prep.

Once a group or individual, over the age of 16, has completed the build classes, that group or team can contact Jeanne McCarthy, to coordinate their schedule for building.

Contact Jeanne for more details about classes and she will direct you to our Youth United leaders for the build classes (609-936-0798)

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Thanks for preparing to join our efforts to help eliminate poverty housing. We hope you have a great experience helping with this ecumenical effort to serve God and our community with your skills, enthusiasm and energy!!

Want to learn more about becoming involved with Youth United? Click here to email Jeanne McCarthy, our director of Youth United programs, for more information or to see how you can become involved with Youth United. Maybe you can help start a Youth United chapter in your school!

How is the "Youth United" house coming? Our Youth United chapter raised funds for and worked on Project # 6, Deon Lewis's home. Click here to learn about the project.

Last Updated: February 22, 2006