Giant Tiger helping to build Habitat home
Store managers and owners of Giant Tiger’s Niagara locations have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity Niagara to build a home for a Welland family.
Giant Tiger is contributing $10,000 and manpower to the Sauer Avenue home build project. Apart from handing over the cheque, the Giant Tiger team, including people in its leadership development program, will be on site for two days to help out.
Sara McGowan, manager of Giant Tiger’s Grimsby store, was an instrumental force in making this happen.
McGowan said the owner of her store gave her application forms for Canada 150 grants and thought Habitat for Humanity would be a good cause to support. She said she went to work researching the organization to see what kind of work it is doing.
From there she wrote a letter to the other Niagara Giant Tiger stores to see if they would take part, and when they all agreed, she wrote to the Giant Tiger head office to pitch the idea.
“Next thing I know, we’ve got head office calling and telling us it was a slam-dunk,” she said.
“Now we’re all here at the build Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes for families in its communities. By offering a no-down-payment, interest-free mortgage, families that might not otherwise be able to afford their own homes are able to do so. Families must meet a number of criteria to qualify for a home with the organization and must also be willing to volunteer 500 hours of “sweat equity” with Habitat for Humanity and within the community. For more information visit habitatniagara.ca.
and we’re doing our part for the community.”
She said the Welland build is the latest project Habitat is working on, which is why they all ended up helping out at that location.
Giant Tiger Welland store owner Wayne Zatorski said the project is a great opportunity to learn, help a family and be a part of the community. Having a hand in literally building the community is a “neat” experience for him.
Alison Scarlett, manager of brand communications with Giant Tiger, said one of the things the Canadian-owned company strives for is to be connected with and involved in the community.
She said Giant Tiger believes in sweat equity and giving back.
The Sauer Avenue home is part of a build that began with Niagara College students in September, said Dawn Marie Cavasin, manager of development and communications with Habitat for Humanity Niagara. She described it as a combined youth and community building effort.
She said having the community come together in this way to help build a home for a family is leaving a legacy in the community.
“People don’t think they can build a home,” she said of the project, but in the end, that’s exactly what they do.
The Sauer Avenue build will be home to a man named Juan Pablo, his wife Luz and their three children, with the official home dedication and handing over of the keys happening in late June.