Rebuilding Together cuts through the smoke
Organization has donated 4,800 alarms in 16 years
It's become as repetitive as the coyote and the roadrunner outcome, but the Mobile Home Estates' residents in Vallejo continue to appreciate the efforts of Rebuilding Together.
In fact, they call it something else.
“It's love,” Daniel Santos said on Saturday morning. “The safety this group brings means a lot. It means a lot of people care for us.”
Santos is the son of Benjamin Santos, one of the residents receiving help in the form of smoke alarms and detectors from Re
building Together. Helping out as always was Elizabeth Hoffman, Executive Director of the organization in Solano County. This year Rebuilding Together will provide the same duties in 10 different venues — five in Vallejo, one in Benicia and four in the Fairfield/Vacaville areas.
The process never gets old for Hoffman.
“The need is still there,” Hoffman said. “The residents move and it's more of an apartment type living than a single-family home. Even though we've partnered with Vallejo Mobile Home Estates for eight years now, they still have homes without the correct smoke alarms. We are still finding homes with nine-volt batteries or ones without a battery because they've taken out the battery.”
According to Hoffman, in the past 16 years the group has installed 4,800 smoke alarms and 2,800 carbon monoxide alarms. The estimated value of work that's been done is more than $10 million, according to Rebuilding Together.
“I think sometimes when we're a little tired we think someone is sleeping in their homes safely tonight and at least know when there is danger,” Hoffman said. “In mobile home parks they don't have enough time to get out as in a single-family home. In a single-family home its constructed differently where in the mobile home parks the walls are very thin and there is no structural support and insolation. The fire department was telling us that it's within six minutes you need to get out.”
During the day residents' names were entered in a raffle to receive a $20 Safeway Grocery Gift Card after RTSC volunteers confirm your home has the current home safety alarms. A free lunch was also given.
The event was sponsored by the Callison Foundation, Home Depot, the Vallejo Fire Department and the Valero Benicia Refinery. More than 50 volunteers showed up to help install the alarms.
Eva Garcia, who is on the Board of Directors with Rebuilding Together, was attending for the eighth straight year. She gave Hoffman a lot of credit for organizing all the events.
“It's gotten to the point were working with Elizabeth doesn't feel like working,” Garcia said. “She's a mentor to me and when I go to other nonprofits I tell them about her.
“We're not just installing smoke alarms today, but we're also meeting the residents and showing that we care for them,” Garcia continued. “It's amazing to see their needs with their families being met. It's the little things like this that really matter.”
Rebuilding Together will next be at the Vacaville Veterans Hall on Feb. 2 and will head to the Benicia Veterans Hall a week later to deliver safe-at-home kits to veterans.