One organization quite literally is offering a helping hand — albeit a gloved one.
The Pittsburgh North Hills AARP Chapter 595 is donating 407 work gloves to volunteers at Hosanna Industries Inc., a local nonprofit that helps build and repair houses for people who are less fortunate.
Hosanna Industries, with campuses in Richland and Rochester, provides free home repair and rehabilitation, new home construction and disaster relief to homeowners in need. They provide their services in areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Johnstown and Cambria County, according to Rebecca Hetzer, a representative of Hosanna Industries.
“All of the activities described above use volunteers to help us with our work. We aim to host 1,000 volunteers annually so that’s a lot of gloves. This donation is very important and valuable to us for this reason,” Hetzer said.
AARP Chapter 595, which includes 300 members from communities in the North Hills and beyond, raised more than $500 over the past few months for the gloves, said Janet Rushmore, president of the AARP chapter.
Its members also are donating an additional $100.
“We’re not as agile as we used to be. So, our days of volunteering to climb a ladder, fix a roof or install flooring are in the past. When I learned that work gloves were provided free to the volunteers, it seemed like a perfect ‘fit’ for our members,” said Rushmore of Hampton.
The AARP members will present the donations to Hosanna Industries at its July board meeting.
Faith-based Hosanna Industries, founded in 1990, provides a variety of charitable missions, with the Richland campus dedicated to education, creativity and spiritual growth, according to Hetzer.
The Rochester campus has a private chapel and a lodge for overnight retreats, according to hosannaindustries.org.
Project Resurrect Johnstown, a collaboration between Hosanna Industries, Johnstown Redevelopment Authority and the 1889 Foundation, is a five-year initiative aimed at assisting residents in the Johnstown area with critical home repairs.
Hosanna Industries aims to accomplish at least 100 projects per year, including 75 in the Pittsburgh region and 25 in the Johnstown/Cambria County region, Hetzer said.
Members of North Hills-based AARP Chapter 595, established in 1933, meet monthly, host lunches five times a year and provide entertaining or enlightening programs at each event, Rushmore said.
The group has supported a local food pantry and Meals on Wheels since its inception.
“It’s been great to add local libraries and Hosanna Industries to our community-service family,” Rushmore said. “The AARP motto is ‘To Serve, Not to Be Served.’ Most of us have been blessed in our lives and continue to reach out, helping others and making the community a better place.”
Being one of the largest AARP groups in the state, the chapter offers multiple opportunities for members to travel — from day trips to cruises, Rushmore said.
For information about joiningAARP Chapter 595, contact membership chair Bill Rushmore at 412-486-7465.
The AARP chapter usually meets at 12:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at Hampton Presbyterian Church, 2942 E. Hardies Road in Hampton.
Hosanna Industries also is hosting a golf benefit fundraiser on Sept. 8 at the Pittsburgh North Golf Club, 3800 Bakerstown Road in Richland, to raise money for local families in need of critical home repairs, according to its website.