Out-of-state volunteers help build a new home

PETAL, Miss. - A group out of Longwood, Florida are in Petal to help build a home for a local family.

But, this is not the first time they volunteered here.

They helped build a house after the 2013 tornado and wanted to help again after the January tornado.

Advisor, Greg Efta said, "With the tornadoes coming through, we knew this was a greater need. We could do mission work in our own backyard. But getting us away from our comfort zone just makes it a little bit more of a sacrifice. We really want to emphasize we're giving the week to others rather than ourselves."

Habitat for Humanity is happy to see these familiar faces and took them to see their old stomping grounds.

"We love having return groups. We took them down this morning to see the house they worked on the first time, and they got to see the finished product. And that's great for somebody to see that," said Michael Pascarella, Habitat for Humanity construction manager.

These volunteers helped roof the house from a few years back.

But this time, they are doing something different.

"We're building the inside walls and the headers for all the doors. Hopefully we'll get it all framed up. With any luck by the end of the week, we'll have some ceiling trusses up and they'll be able to start putting the sheet on and roof it after we leave," said Efta.

Pascarella said the home should be finished in three or four months, and will go to a single mom and her son.

If you want to volunteer and help build the house, you can contact Habitat for Humanity at (601) 582-4663.