One Family's Story

Mary and Steven MacLeod with their son John, age 12, outside their newly renovated home.

When Mary and Steven MacLeod moved to Watertown, Connecticut, a decade ago, their new home needed a little TLC. The 500-square-foot house, built as a fishing cabin, needed to be updated for year-round living. They did some work on the bathroom and painting, but moved in before they could tackle all that was needed. In a hurry to leave the Bridgeport apartment where their young son contracted lead poisoning, the MacLeods had a lengthy to-do list. But medical problems and financial limitations got in the way.

A decade later, HomeFront volunteers helped them finish the job. A team from the First Congregational Church of Woodbury, where Mary MacLeod is the director of Christian education, replaced the drafty windows and the leaky roof, installed new sheetrock and raised the roof above the bathroom to make room for a shower.

“We couldn’t have done it without them,” Mary MacLeod said. “The materials cost alone would have sunk us.”

Medical problems prevent the couple from working full-time. A graphic artist and former illustrator for PerkinElmer, Inc., Steven MacLeod, 50, has been unable to find steady work since brain surgery left him with short-term memory loss in 1991. Mary MacLeod, 46, works part-time at the church so she can home school their 12-year-old son, John, who has learning disabilities.

Volunteers from the First Congregational Church of Woodbury installed a new roof, windows and sheetrock.

The MacLeod home was one of 82 houses and eight community centers renovated through the HomeFront program in 2008. Since 1988, nearly 2,300 properties have been revitalized by HomeFront volunteers. Recipients include the disabled, senior citizens and single parents who cannot afford the upkeep on their homes.

While most HomeFront teams work just one day, volunteers spent eight weekends renovating the MacLeod house.

“We didn’t have HomeFront Day, we had HomeFront Summer,” Mary MacLeod said.

Several skilled tradesmen including carpenters, plumbers and electricians were on the team. Many of the family’s friends and relatives also pitched in.

“Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, or accept help—it’s that Yankee pride. But facing another winter with a leaking roof and windows that had glass falling out would have been harder still,” Mary McLeod said. “We are so grateful to have so many good people around us so eager to lend a hand. We are truly blessed.”