Community Bulletin
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ROCK CAVE – Saint-Gobain, Harper Lumber and the Band of Brothers have teamed up to provide 450 sheets of drywall to homes affected by the July flood.
The Band of Brothers, a Christian men’s volunteer organization, assists communities across the Mountain State with a variety of needs, from raising money for children to building ramps for people who have difficulty entering and exiting their homes. Kevin Hawkins, a member of the Band of Brothers, said the group partners regularly with Harper Lumber and its owner, Kevin Ware, to purchase needed supplies.
“We build ramps, put in step-in showers, take out their tubs — and we buy everything through Harper’s. He gives us a discount, so when the flood hit, we automatically went to him,” Hawkins said. “He came to me, and he said, ‘Hey, Kevin, we’re getting 450 sheets of drywall, and I want you guys to choose where it goes.’ I was amazed, so I started going to different homes and measuring up the drywall. Then people would come in and get it, or Kevin would deliver it. We just ship drywall all over, and the drywall is coming from Saint-Gobain.”
Albin Thomas, plant manager at SEFPRO Corhart Buckhannon, said the drywall came from CertainTeed, a Saint-Gobain company that produces construction materials.
“Saint-Gobain believes in community outreach. Especially during these tough times, we are also part of the same community; we wanted to do our part, and our group was really supportive of us,” Thomas said. “We are doing the easy portion. The Band of Brothers are doing the harder portion of going out there and doing the work for the people. We have a lot of respect for them, especially how they really came out and immediately brought the community together.”
Ware, owner of Harper Lumber and Building Supply, said he and the Band of Brothers have worked together for a long time, so he knew they were the right people to help identify the homes that needed the drywall the most.
“Kevin [Hawkins] will come in and bring us a material list for the ramps, and so we’ve created a partnership that’s been working over the years,” Ware said. “Then we had the flood, and I had contacts at Saint-Gobain and then contacts with the guys who I buy material from. So we worked with them, and then worked with Saint-Gobain on getting some drywall, and then we got in touch with the Band of Brothers.”
Once the volunteer group had identified a need, Harper Lumber would collect and distribute the drywall.
“We told them we would donate it if they would identify where to send it, and then Harper Lumber would take delivery and distribute it to the people they chose,” Ware said. “I just got the ball rolling with Saint-Gobain and the Band of Brothers; I was a mediator between them.”
The Band of Brothers is also still conducting its annual West Virginia Scenic Calendar fundraiser. More information can be found in a previous article. My Buckhannon has also partnered with the group to sell the calendars online. You can purchase calendars by clicking here.
