January 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

HAMMER & NAILS — FIXING HOUSES AND CHANGING LIVES

Wheelchair ramps and more

WRITTEN BY SARAH SMITH

For over 20 years, Hammer & Nails’ faith-based mission has remained the same — to fix houses and change lives. Hammer and Nails, Inc. is an ecumenical Christian nonprofit outreach organization based in Canton, Ohio, dedicated to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged Stark County homeowners through assistance with home and property improvements. All improvements are made free of charge for the homeowner. Homeowners include the elderly, disabled, veteran, single parent, mentally and/or physically challenged, or financially burdened.

“A wheelchair ramp can change a person’s life overnight,” said Sara Handy, Community Relations for H&N. “It is a project that can be completed in a day’s work, and anyone at any skill level can contribute as a volunteer.”

The aluminum ramps H&N installs are long-lasting. They remain the property of H&N so that they can be constructed and deconstructed for several homeowners, becoming a gift that keeps on giving. However, the ramps are expensive. H&N has been blessed to receive grants to help fund them as well as other donations to offset the expense. The organization also accepts used metal ramps that people wish to donate.

In the past two years, over 500 projects have been completed, and 30 wheelchair ramps have been installed. “We are dedicated to revitalizing Stark County one home and homeowner at a time. All the work being done is in the best interest of the homeowner’s health and safety, and God remains at the forefront of everything we do. Our hope is that more individuals and groups will get involved by volunteering and/ or supporting us financially so that we can make a greater impact and help those who continue to fill our waiting list. By volunteering, you can experience firsthand why loving thy neighbor as thyself is so necessary in a time when we all just experienced what it is like to live in the shoes of a person with a disability who cannot easily go to and from their home without the right accessibility equipment in place. No one deserves to be on lockdown in a home that is not safe. We want to allow people to have their forever homes that they thrive in and can easily go to and from doctors’ appointments, visit friends, and attend community events. We are dedicated to fixing homes and changing lives!” exclaimed Handy.

Volunteering is a great way to support H&N and see firsthand the importance of neighbors serving neighbors. Monetary donations are equally crucial to purchase the materials needed and operating the organization. Every gift counts and stays local. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to make a big difference, Handy added.

Recently, H&N received a grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Massillon, allowing H&N to purchase a brand-new wheelchair ramp from JTEK Solutions group. The ramp was installed by a group of volunteers at a home in Massillon for a wheelchair-bound woman who lived with her husband. Her husband desperately wanted to easily take her to and from doctors and appointments but, even more so, to take her to get her hair done. H&N even had a group of Jackson High School students help plant a donation of flowers from Geissinger’s Plant Hut around the ramp. Not only was the ramp installed for a deserving family, but it was also in memory of the daughter they lost in a tragic car accident. This project became so much more than just a ramp.

“Unfortunately, Jerri Helmreich passed away this year, but we will always have the memories made from that experience, and the ramp is now helping another homeowner and creating new memories as its legacy lives on,” Handy said.

“Hammer & Nails is a godsend that changed a person’s life overnight,” stated Jerri’s husband, George Helmreich.

H&N has four staff members and a handful of regular volunteers, and a list of other individuals and group volunteers who can be called upon at any given time.

More information can be found at www.hammerandnails.org or by calling 330-453-6277. Hammer and Nails, Inc. is located at 1404 7th St., NW. in Canton.