Every year across the U.S., Rebuilding Together and its cadre of volunteers serve veterans, older adults, low-income families with children, and victims of disaster with a variety of critical home repairs, including floor repairs and replacement, weatherization, roof and handrail replacements, accessibility modifications, painting and landscaping. The repairs are provided free of charge to the homeowners who, often faced with diminishing resources, must choose food and medicine over home fixups — choices that, over time, can lead to crumbling foundations, dangerously sagging roofs and windows, and doors that can’t be securely shut.

More than 500 volunteers, hosted by Rebuilding Together South Sound, completed 27 repair and safety modifications on homes in the South Sound area (Pierce County and south King County) during the annual National Rebuilding Day on April 27.

The local projects were among 1,600 across the U.S. that involved nearly 40,000 volunteers through Rebuilding Together, a national non-profit organization that provides critical home repairs for low-income homeowners.

In the South Sound, sponsors of Rebuilding Day included City of Tacoma, Seaport Sound Terminal, BECU, Lowe’s, City of Lakewood, Booz Allen Hamilton, Tacoma Public Utilities, Walsh Group, Columbia Bank, Gray Lumber Company, Lane Powell, Niagara Bottling Company, Patriot Fire Protection, Walsh Construction, Absher Construction, Master Builders Association of Pierce County, Puget Sound Mortgage Lenders Association, TOTE Maritime, BCE Engineering, Builders FirstSource, Fairwood Community United Methodist Church, PCS Structural Solutions, and TCF Architecture.

Since 2001, Rebuilding Together South Sound and about 10,000 volunteers have worked on 893 homes and non-profit projects, with a combined value of $7.5 million in. More information, including how to get involved, is at rebuildingtogetherss.org.