Monroe County, Tennessee Habitat for Humanity began in 1992. Its initial projects were focused on helping local residents make improvements to their existing homes.
The very first project involved an 83 year old Tellico Plains woman whose request was simple. She wanted to take at least one bath before she passed away. At the time, she didn’t have a bathroom. She merely had an outhouse. Habitat Monroe helped her fulfill her dream by building a bathroom… with a bathtub. This home was built while the newly founded organization had only $5000 to work with. Fund raisers, generous donations, and the contributions of area businesses and churches played an integral part in the completion of this first project and remains a critical element in the continued success of Habitat Monroe.
Similar projects were carried out before the very first home was dedicated toward the end of 1995. The next few homes were built for residents who were living without kitchens, bathrooms, and in some cases, completely without plumbing.
To date, 21 homes have been built for needy area residents with the 22nd home nearing completion.
The Habitat HomeStore, located at 251 Warren Street in Madisonville, opened its doors in 2006. A box truck was acquired in 2007 to help assist with pick-ups and deliveries. Visitors to the store will find a large selection of furniture, appliances, clothing, books and more.
Habitat Monroe would like to invite you to attend their “7th Annual Monroe County Habitat for Humanity Fund Raising Dinner and Silent Auction and Dinner” to be held at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 21st at the Tellico West Conference Center in Vonore. Guest Speaker will be Knoxville’s own storyteller, humorist, author, and Knoxville News Sentinel columnist, Sam Venable. Sam, a Knoxville native, delivers his humorous and bizarre look at life on a variety of topics from how to speak “hillbillyese”, the insanity of ever-present warning labels, to the perils of growing older. Tickets for the evening are $50 per person and can be purchased by calling 423-442-8886.
Habitat Monroe is a non-profit organization and would like to encourage the participation of individuals, businesses, and churches. There’s always the need for volunteers, monitory donations, and the donations of goods and services. All of this goes a long way in helping Habitat Monroe and the communities and residents of Monroe County.
For more information about Habitat Monroe and how you can help, visit www.habitatmonroe.org, stop by the store or call 423-442-8886!
