Neighborly love in the air across Buffalo, as Eight Days of Hope transforms housing

Volunteers with the organization Eight Days of Hope are showing the neighborly kind of love by providing residents with free home repairs, refurbishments and renovations for eight days, ending Saturday.

“I feel like it is so much better to give than to receive,” volunteer Shelby Webster said. “Every time I go out to help others for Eight Days, I end up being blessed by the people I am serving. The homeowners are always so amazing.”

Eight Days of Hope is an all-volunteer national ministry based in Mississippi and formed in 2005 to help with disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers travel across the country to help rebuild homes for free in communities after disasters.

Steve Tybor, president of organization, described its efforts in Buffalo as “unique,” because the effort did not start in response to a disaster. In 2019, Eight Days decided to open a satellite location on Kensington Avenue in the city.

“We decided that we wanted to take time to love and serve our own community – to not just focus on disasters, but to serve the community we call home,” said volunteer and organization coordinator Hannah Fletcher, a Buffalo resident.

This year’s efforts mark the fourth annual outreach in Buffalo. Each year, Eight Days of Hope chooses a new district and about 100 families to help. Repair services include painting, porch replacements, window installations, roofing, landscaping, concrete work and more. Homeowners in each year’s respective district can submit an application to be entered in a random lottery to be selected as one of the recipients.