Murphy – Young folks from Florida traveled many miles before landing in Murphy ready to help with some much-needed local projects.
On March 19, about 10 youth were busy holding, hammering, building and painting – along with other tasks – at the Hurlburt-Johnson Friendship House homeless shelter under the direction of shelter volunteer Amy Nicolson and coordinated by Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville. The grounds were a buzz with kids and their supervisors working on projects Nicolson said the shelter has needed for a while.
Some residents who leave the shelter after their stay may need to store some of their belongings until they can return to retrieve them. However, the shelter is out of room for such storage. One of the projects the youth were assigned to work on included building a storage shed for such items.
Other tasks included creating a more user-friendly and safer yard for the residents of the shelter as well as putting up fencing. The young helpers consist of freshman and sophomore students from the Tampa and Clearwater area of Florida who have a desire to help others.
“It really just warms my heart. I have a lot of blessings in my life, and I can just come here and help anybody that I can and have fun doing it,” said 15-year-old Eli Valentine, who was busy painting and building a wall.
Madeline Kinsey, 16, was painting when she said, “I came to help serve the community and help get this place into a better shape.” She wants to be a baker or a chef later in life.
The projects were made possible with the generous donations of supplies from Cox & Son Roofing, Engineered Retaining Walls, Lowe’s Home Improvement Store and Sherwin-Williams Paint Store in Murphy.
Nicolson was delighted with all the help and support .
“This is a godsend,” she said. “They’re doing so much, and we really needed the help.”
There will still be needs after the visiting help departs. The homeless shelter is seeking individuals and groups who can assist by volunteering a few hours of their time a month. Both day and nighttime help is sought to assist with organizing and maintenance.
Nicolson is also looking for hosts who can assist residents from 5:30 a.m. through 10:30 p.m.
Details: Call 828-226-8790 or visit hurlburt-johnsonfriendshiphouse.org.