Habitat Rebuilds with Gingerbread from Help by St. Peter's

Before the holiday season came to an end, St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in River Edge, hosted a gingerbread house-making fundraiser in December to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County’s Sandy Rehabilitation efforts.

The event was a success, raising over $1,100 and bringing together community members, who took the time out of their Sundays to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing by building their own gingerbread homes.

“St. Peter the Apostle has been such a valuable supporter of Habitat Bergen for over 10 years now,” said Jacey Raimondo, Executive Director, Habitat Bergen. “We are always amazed at the community’s generosity and enthusiasm to help us in our mission of providing affordable housing for low-income, hard-working families in Bergen County.”

Habitat Bergen is in the process of preparing for its Sandy Rehabilitation Project, launching spring 2013. The affiliate will help to rebuild in Little Ferry, Moonachie, Carlstadt, Hackensack and South Hackensack – areas that were hit the hardest by Sandy in Bergen County. Habitat Bergen is currently collecting information from community members whose homes were severely affected by Sandy.

"Everyone had such a great time building their gingerbread houses, knowing that they were helping others rebuild their homes," said Pat Fallon, one of the event organizers and a member of St. Peter the Apostle. “We are definitely going to do this again next year and look forward to our continued involvement with Habitat Bergen!”

Habitat's “Repair. Rebuild. Restore.” project is expected to last for the next three to five years. Habitat Bergen County is one of nearly a dozen Habitat affiliates that received a mobil response unit which will be used to assist communities in the county as the organization works to restore and rebuild homes in the hardest hit area following Superstorm Sandy.

To apply for help from Habitat Bergen, habitatbergen.org, or contact Habitat Bergen at info@habitatbergen.org.

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