Buffalo Homeowners Get Free Repairs

BUFFALO, N.Y. — This week, hope is at work in the Ellicott District.

“They’re redoing the ceiling, the bathroom really needed to be redone”

John Kingcade is getting a new bathroom and kitchen installed. The cost of such a major project? Not a single cent.

“We do free home repairs for 100 families. We do roofing, exterior painting, porch repairs, flooring, landscaping, you name it. We even do a community project at JFK Park,” said Kim Lackey, director of Eight Days of Hope in Buffalo.

Eight Days of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit, is in its fifth year of providing Buffalo-area families with free home repairs.

David Medley is another happy homeowner in Ellicott

“Before, it felt like home. But with the help of John and the rest of the Eight Days of Hope team, it’s really going to feel like home now,” Medley said.

John Himes, a volunteer with the organization, had never met David until this week. What strikes him most, he says: David’s humility.

“We’re going to give him a new bathroom this week. We’ve completely gutted it, with new plumbing and electrical. We’re going to put up drywall today,” Himes said.

Once the walls were up, the crew left. But the gratitude will surely last for years to come.

“There’s nothing you can really do to say thank you,” Kingcade said.

The community service event began last Saturday and will continue through next Saturday.

If you missed your home repair this year, applications for the week-long volunteer event are typically posted on the Eight Days of Hope website each spring.