Story and image from The Omaha World Herald
Residents of the small Iowa town of Hamburg were left reeling after Missouri River flooding in March 2019, when about 400 of the town's 1,000-plus residents were displaced. The school district’s building served as an emergency site. The students helped with meal distribution and a laundry service.
Students also have helped build a house for one of their neighbors who was left without a home after the flood. Construction of the house, which began just before Thanksgiving, should be finished before Christmas.
Students raised about $35,000 for the project, Hamburg Superintendent Mike Wells said. But plans to immediately build the house were derailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were short on money, but through prayer, we were going to get it started,” Wells said. “Then our prayers really were answered.”
The students landed extra help to accelerate the project thanks to One Family One Purpose, a nonprofit based in Illinois. When One Family One Purpose learned that the school district planned to build a home this year, Executive Director Ryan Johnson said, the organization was eager to help.
“We offered our expertise and manpower to make it happen,” he said.
Barker said it’s still a little unbelievable to have been selected to receive the new home. The school district has amazing programs, Barker said. But help from One Family One Purpose has significantly sped up the building process.
“I’m very thankful that God put it on their hearts to send them here to help the kids,” Barker said.
Students in second through eighth grades spend portions of the school day at the home site, which is across the street from the school. Every 25 minutes, a new group cycles in. They help haul tools and some even helped snap siding onto the house. Students in kindergarten and first grade help, too, but on simpler tasks, such as helping clean up the worksite. In addition to the practical skills kids are learning, Johnson said, he hopes they learn about giving back and serving others, too.
