South Whidbey volunteers tackle home repairs, safety hazards for neighbors

A South Whidbey homeowner got more than routine yard work last weekend. Volunteers cleared brush, cleaned gutters, pressure-washed a deck, cut dangerous trees and built a railing, the kind of repairs that can keep an older resident or someone with limited mobility from facing a fall, a leak or a costly emergency.

At the center of that effort was Josh Hauser, who expressed appreciation to Isaac Leitz, a job captain with South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers, as the work party moved through the property. The nonprofit’s mission is straightforward and practical: connect neighbors in need with volunteers who can help them remain safe and healthy in their homes.

The workday marked the 32nd annual effort for South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers, a tradition that has operated since 1994 and grew out of a pilot program sponsored by Langley United Methodist Church. In recent years, the single-day volunteer push has drawn more than 300 people, including just over 300 volunteers spread across 28 work sites in 2023 and 308 volunteers at 25 job sites in 2024. The group typically fields about 250 to 350 volunteers and tackles 30 to 35 houses in a year.

That scale matters on South Whidbey Island, where wet weather, fast-growing trees and aging houses can quickly turn neglected maintenance into safety hazards. South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers serves the stretch from Clinton to Greenbank and also arranges emergency services throughout the year, extending its work far beyond one Saturday in May.

The annual project has become a durable part of the island’s volunteer culture because it fills a gap that many homeowners cannot cover on their own. For some, it is the difference between staying in a familiar house and confronting repairs they cannot afford, or safely manage, without help.