Fort Pierce - Volunteers are needed on Saturday, May 31 to paint the home and tile the bathroom of a low-income resident whose house was severely damaged by the 2004 storms. This resident has lived in unhealthy conditions since his home was damaged by the 2004 hurricanes and then again by Wilma in 2005. He is disabled with substantial health challenges and simply did not have the resources to repair his home. For many reasons the other local repair programs were unable to assist him. Unfortunately, this resident has lived without a solid roof over his head for almost four years.

St. Lucie INTACT, the long-term disaster recovery organization, made every effort to identify resources to assist this man. A grant was secured to provide assistance through a partnership with the Red Cross' "Means to Recovery Program." The grant funds combined with resources from Lutheran Disaster Services, the United Methodist Conference on Relief, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and the My Safe Florida Home program were utilized to bring his home back to livable conditions. The final step is to paint the interior and exterior of his home. Stefanie Myers, the Long-Term Recovery coordinator, said: "The support from the community has been tremendous. We never could have helped people like this gentleman without the volunteers and donations from the county."

The Paint House, Colors By Design Painting, WGM Quality Painting, Doug Martin and Jorge Mercado's Painting have donated paint and materials, but volunteers are needed to apply the paint and tile. If you are interested in helping, please call (772) 462-1777 for the location and time. INTACT continues to have openings for low-income residents who are in need of hurricane shutters other retrofits in order to strengthen their homes against future storms. Please contact INTACT at (772) 462-1777 if you would like more information and qualification criteria.