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Eleven members of the Tri-Hamlet Womens’ League rolled up their sleeves, donned safety hats and hammered and glued their way to help build a Habitat for Humanity house in Mastic Beach today.
The group, started last year by Mastic Beach resident Elaine Parker through a word-of-mouth drive on social media.
“I love our community, and there’s a lot of negative things on social media about it,” said Parker. That reputation prompted her to reach out on a Facebook group to see if other women in the area would be interested in “coffee and conversation.” That grew to an in-person meeting. Now the group has 240 members and meets twice monthly at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library
Parker, a four-year Mastic Beach resident, said she “couldn’t think of a more special way to give back to our community.”
“Everyone is really excited to be here,” added the group’s co-chair for the event, Patti Cowie, of Mastic Beach.
Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk site supervisor Ryan Parsons, 32, of Manorville, said construction on the two-story, four-bedroom, 1 ½-bathroom Cape, which overlooks Bayview Park, started on March 13 and should last six to eight months.
He said Habitat of Humanity of Suffolk is participating in “National Women Build Week,” and Tri-Hamlet Womens’ League is part of that initiative.
Parsons said that Habitat normally has sponsored groups, and then walk-on days for anyone to participate.
“Everyone shows up willing to work and willing to take direction,” Parsons said. “It’s never set goals. It’s what we can do safely and correctly.”
However, on this day, the group was focusing windows and starting wall siding.
Parsons said the prospective owners — a family of four — have been putting in their “sweat equity” since the first week, but were not available this weekend.
He added that the house will have a donated geothermal system and that Habitat is hoping to partner with a solar company for solar panels.
