At Macomb County Habitat for Humanity, I have witnessed many acts of kindness.  Just this week, I was told about a young man who had volunteered at the new ReStore in Shelby Township.  He was working in the back room and saw seven lawnmowers in a corner.  He approached a staff person and asked if he could buy one of the mowers because as a new homeowner with little money, he really needed one.  The staff person told him that the mowers were for our Habitat home projects and that only one of them was working.  He did add, however, that if the volunteer could get any of the other lawnmowers working, then he could take one home.

In a few hours, all of the lawnmowers were working and the volunteer left with his own mower and a feeling of happiness about Habitat he will never forget.  Miracle?  No.  Act of kindness? Yes.

Macomb County Habitat for Humanity is proud to announce we have officially closed on our 144th home! Many of our volunteers remember working alongside Stacey Harris on build sites, and shoppers were able to meet her in the ReStores.

Stacey joined our program in October of 2015 and since then, she was always proactive on investing her 250 sweat equity hours, submitting her paperwork, and saving for her down payment. Stacey is a single mother of three, working full-time in the health care industry, and just bought her home in Warren on April 13th. 

Congratulations Stacey!

Take a walk around your yard and see what the plantings and shrubs look like after winter. What worked last year and what do you want to change? Use time in May to plan, and hold off planting until late in the month. Walking on, tilling or digging while the ground is cold and wet just compacts the ground so the roots can’t breathe well. It may be 70° in the air, but the ground won’t warm up past 50° until later in the month.  Plants put into the ground late in the month will easily catch up and will surpass those shocked by early planting.

Consider a mix of annuals and perennials. The annuals give more color over a longer time period, but must be replaced each year. Perennials bloom for multiple years, but tend to be in color for just part of the growing season. Remember that going out around Mother’s Day and filling your garden with plants already in bloom will mean that mid-May could be the time your garden looks best, with few spots of interest the rest of the year. Read some tags and mix it up, and use the tag info to space your plants out correctly. And check out your neighbors gardens to see what spring bulbs you want to add next fall.

1. Golfers and sponsors for our Home-in-One Golf Classic
2. Donated baked goods for craft & vendor show on June 10 & 11 at Shelby Forest Clubhouse
3. 12' Box Truck for our deconstruction department
4. $8,000 to complete home in Eastpointe
5. Silent/Live auction items for our signature fall event