Operation Home

Thomas' House
Thomas is an elderly amputee. He lives with his friend Doug, who helps care for him. The bathroom in the house was in severe disrepair, with the floors badly sunken in. In fact, the bathroom was in such poor condition that Thomas was unable to use it. The windows in many parts of the home were separated from the walls, and the front door was coming off the hinges. View PDF with photos.

Anna and Clara's House
Anna and Clara, a mother and daughter, ages 81 and 57, live in Mount Pleasant very near Towne Centre Shopping Center. The bathroom had holes in the floor so deep that you could see through to the ground under the house. The kitchen floor was in the same condition. Additionally, the roof needed to be patched in several areas. The home had no air conditioning. View PDF with photos.

Brrrr...It's Cold Out There
For far too many of our neighbors, it is almost as cold inside their homes. Hundreds of elderly, disadvantaged, and disabled residents of Lowcountry live in homes with paper thin walls, uninsulated windows, and holes in the floors and ceilings. When temperatures fall, there is little to protect for these families from the bitter winds of winter. Few have or can afford to operate central heating; most rely on kerosene heaters which are a leading cause of home fires for the poor. Operation Home is working with agency case workers to identify people who have little or no safe means of heating their homes. People like Mary Louise Fordham (65) and her aunt Mary Fordham (84) of Awendaw.

In December, Operation Home repaired floors, installed a new hot water heater, and replaced the doors and steps at both front and rear entrances to the home. While visiting the Fordhams, Operation Home’s new client services coordinator Miriam Rothkopf found that the women were heating their trailer with the kitchen oven and an old kerosene heater belching fumes. “By the time I left, I had a headache.” Miriam says. “The circumstance can’t be good for these two elderly ladies. Fortunately, we were able to convince them to let us exchange their old heater with two new energy efficient heaters loaded with safety features.” So far this winter season, Operation Home has given out 40 heaters. If you’d like to help one or more families stay safe and warm in their homes this winter, click here to Make a Donation.

Making A Difference...A Room For Phillip
Phillip, a 12-year-old Goose Creek boy, has suffered from birth with spina bifida. His medical condition had begun to severely compromise his organ function. Atthe end of March 2007, Phillip underwent two extensive corrective surgeries. Operation Home sought to improve the living circumstances for him and his family who care for him fulltime. In partnership with the 300th Airlift Squadron of the Air Force Reserves and with donations from local businesses and subcontractors, we built an addition to the home that is completely wheelchair accessible. Phillip is home and showing great improvement. His new room will make it easier for his parents to care for him during what will be a long and painful recovery. View PDF with photos.

Helping the elderly and diabled...
Maggie, 59, is the fulltime caregiver for her older sister 72, a double amputee and their 101-year-old mother. Life was particularly challenging for the sweetgrass makers because the floors in their kitchen and two bathrooms were rotten; one bathroom was unusable and the other allowed minimum wheelchair accessibility. Operation Home repaired floors, replaced toilets and vanities and enlarged one bathroom to allow for wheelchair access. We also removed a wall between the kitchen and living room to allow increased maneuverability for wheelchairs. View PDF with photos.

Helping a single mother of two...
Penny is a single mother with two little boys: a rambunctious one-year-old and a four-year-old toddler with severe birth defects who requires constant care. The lease was running out on the apartment her church had rented for her and she had no place to go and a month away from homelessness. An elderly family friend stepped in with a space in the downstairs of his home but it was unsafe for her children. With donations of materials, furniture and appliances from Lowe’s, Baby Boomer Home and St. Vincent DePaul, Operation Home renovated the kitchen and bathroom, installed carpeting and painted. Members of the Kahal Kaddsh Beth Elohim Temple donated 80 hours of volunteer labor to clean and spruce up the exterior of Penny’s new home. View PDF with photos.