March 16, 2020

Dear Habitat Supporter:

The leadership at San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic.  The continued health and safety of everyone around us is of our utmost concern and guides our response to this fluid situation.

We are taking additional measures to keep you, our staff and community safe. We will continue updating you as the situation evolves. Below is our current plan as of March 16, 2020 and how you can help.

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

Construction Volunteers

All team build days are postponed until further notice. We will continue work on our construction sites with staff and our workforce development partner. We are still able to accept a limited number of individual volunteers. For more information, visit VolunteerHub or contact Briana Lopez.  We strongly suggest that you check the CDC website and follow all directives relative to your health and the health of others.

Individual ReStore volunteers are still welcome to volunteer.  If you are not comfortable joining us at this time, please cancel your shift on VolunteerHub

Future volunteer activity will be evaluated on a daily basis.

SPECIAL EVENT:  WOMEN BUILD

In accordance with CDC recommendations to limit gatherings to 50 people, we are postponing Women Build, originally scheduled for May 1-2, 2020, until later this year. Even though we are delaying the build event, there’s a lot of good you can continue to do for Women Build and the overall cause of affordable housing! We invite you to fundraise, register yourself/add team members or nominate a woman for this year’s Spirit of Women Build Award! We will provide updates by e-mail to all our registered participants and also post regular updates on our website.

ReSTORES

Our Atwater Village and Azusa ReStore locations will remain open at this time.  In keeping with our good housekeeping standards, all donated items are cleaned and prepared for sale, and frequently used surfaces are cleaned at regular intervals during store hours.  Staff has been instructed to follow all CDC health, safety and hygiene guidelines and are instructed to not report to work if they are not well.  Donation pickups will continue at this time.

Our eStore is open 24/7 to anyone who would prefer to shop online from the comfort of home.

STAFF/COMMUNITY SAFETY

While the SGV Habitat administrative office is open, many staff are working remotely. In the interest of everyone’s health and safety, we encourage you to conduct all business by phone call or e-mail. If you need to stop by our office, there will be someone available to assist you.

If you have a scheduled appointment with a particular staff member, they will contact you regarding any changes to your appointment.

Additional Resources

Local: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
National: https://www.cdc.gov/
International: https://www.who.int/

These are challenging times for all of us, but because of your support, many families now have safe and secure homes where they can ride out this health challenge. We thank you for your past support and we look forward to our continued partnership in creating safe, healthy and affordable housing in the San Gabriel Valley.

We invite you to join us in keeping the most vulnerable in our community, our government leaders, and medical professionals in your thoughts and prayers.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch any time. Give us a call at (626) 387-6899 — and keep us posted on how you’re doing!

Thanks for all you bring to SGV Habitat, friend. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Sincerely,

Mark Van Lue

Executive Director | San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity