Volunteers Repair Homes Island-Wide, Helping Neighbors Who Need It Most

When Tre' Everett first found out that homeowners were moved to tears simply by learning their repair applications had been approved, he knew he'd found something rare. "They were crying," he recalled, describing the moment that transformed him from a curious bystander into the president of North Whidbey Hearts and Hammers. That emotional weight, a neighbor discovering that a collapsing deck or a dangerously uneven ramp is suddenly someone else's problem to solve, is exactly what drives nearly 150 volunteers to give up a Saturday each May and get to work.

North Whidbey Hearts and Hammers hosts an Annual Workday built on a single principle: Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Each year, volunteers come together to repair homes for those who are physically or financially unable to do the work themselves. And across Whidbey Island, two sister organizations do the same, creating an island-wide safety net that quietly keeps hundreds of vulnerable homeowners in the homes they would otherwise be forced to leave.

Three Islands, One Deep-Rooted Mission

NWHH is still young, in just its seventh year, compared to 17 years for the Central Whidbey group and 32 years for South Whidbey. The South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers mission is to provide volunteers with the opportunity to build community by connecting neighbors-in-need with neighbors who can help them remain safe and healthy in their homes. It was founded in 1994 by South Whidbey resident Lynn Willeford. What began on the south end of the island has since grown into a coordinated, island-wide effort, with each group independently organized but united by the same mission and the same emotional core.

The north end holds the most residents, so naturally the need exploded from just a handful of projects and volunteers in 2018, to 16 projects and nearly 150 people on the job in 2025. That pace of growth is remarkable for a volunteer-run nonprofit, and it reflects both the depth of unmet need on the north end and the organizational momentum Everett has helped build.

How a Six-Hour Workday Gets Built

Turning community goodwill into 16 completed home-repair projects in a single day is a feat of logistics that begins months in advance. Homeowners' requests need to be vetted and approved, then project-managed into a six-hour workday. Board members work to procure grants, donations, tools and materials. For each project, the leadership team recruits a House Captain who finalizes requirements for people and equipment. Volunteers are then matched to projects based on their specific skills, whether they're licensed electricians, experienced carpenters, or simply willing hands ready to haul debris.

The day concludes back at Living Word Church on Northwest Crosby Road in Oak Harbor with a celebratory dinner, bringing together homeowners, volunteers, and house captains around the same tables. It is a moment to reflect, share stories, and celebrate what can be accomplished when a community works together. The full arc of the day, from an early breakfast through a sack lunch on-site to that final shared meal, is itself a community-building exercise, not just a construction schedule.

NWHH also provides "Heart Projects" throughout the year when possible, for homeowners whose needs can't wait until May. But the main focus, the theme that drives the organization all year long, is planning for Work Day. For a household with a failing accessibility ramp or a roof that won't survive another winter, the year-round Heart Projects program can be the difference between staying housed and being forced to move.

Who Qualifies and What Gets Fixed

To qualify for North Whidbey's program, applicants must live on North Whidbey Island, own and occupy their home, and demonstrate a financial need. Applications are accepted through mid-March, after which a selection committee chooses homes to receive repairs and support. The goal is to help members of the community live safely, independently, and with dignity.

Projects span a wide range of urgency and scale. Volunteers have built handicap ramps, repaired roofs, tackled bathroom and kitchen updates, cleared overgrown yards, and addressed weatherization gaps that drive up heating costs for households already stretched thin. North Whidbey Hearts and Hammers is powered entirely by volunteers. Every nail driven and every board replaced represents donated time, and in many cases donated materials secured through the board's grant-writing and community outreach.

From Hot Dogs to the President's Chair

Everett's path into leadership is the kind of story that makes the organization's origin feel both accidental and inevitable. He first encountered North Whidbey Hearts and Hammers at a promotional event where the group was handing out hot dogs at Oak Harbor Ace Hardware. The tagline, "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," caught his attention. He attended a board meeting out of curiosity.

Art Huffine, NWHH co-founder, chuckles at Everett's story. "We met him at Ace, he came to a board meeting, and two months later he was our president." Huffine describes Everett's dedication as both welcome and urgently needed, the kind of rapid community buy-in that sustains volunteer organizations through the grind of year-round planning. That a single hot-dog giveaway at a hardware store could produce a nonprofit president within eight weeks says something striking about how Hearts and Hammers draws people in and holds them.

What Whidbey Stands to Lose Without It

Island County's housing challenges are well documented: an aging population, limited contractor availability, and home-repair costs that have climbed sharply alongside broader construction inflation. For a senior homeowner on a fixed income, or a disabled resident who cannot safely climb a ladder, a deteriorating deck or a failing exterior door is not a cosmetic nuisance; it is a threat to their ability to stay in their home. Hearts and Hammers sits directly at that intersection, absorbing repair burdens that the market cannot or will not solve affordably.

The ripple effects extend beyond the individual household. Neighbors who meet on Workday build relationships that persist. Tradespeople who volunteer their skills see firsthand the gaps in their community's housing stock. And homeowners who might otherwise feel invisible discover, sometimes through tears, that their neighbors were watching out for them all along.

How to Get Involved Before May 16

No matter your skill level, there is a place for you in Hearts and Hammers, though the organization is especially seeking volunteers with construction experience to serve as House Captains, the leaders who guide each project. The 2026 North Whidbey Workday is scheduled for May 16, and the window to shape how that day unfolds is now.

Residents who want to volunteer, donate materials, or nominate a neighbor in need can connect with North Whidbey Hearts and Hammers through nwheartsandhammers.org. For South Whidbey, heartsandhammers.com carries homeowner application information and volunteer details. If you have a pickup truck, a skill saw, or simply a free Saturday and a willingness to work alongside your neighbors, that is enough to get started. One hot dog and a board meeting changed Tre' Everett's life. A single Workday Saturday might change someone else's.