Nonprofit organizations gift two more homes to tornado survivors

By Jasmine Youngblood

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    MARSHALL COUNTY, Kentucky (WPSD) — Two more west Kentucky tornado victims received keys to brand new homes Tuesday afternoon.

Samaritan’s Purse and God’s Pit Crew have been aiding in tornado recovery since the early days of the process. Building new homes one of the last steps for the organizations.

Samaritan’s Purse built a home in Mayfield, and God’s Pit Crew built one in Marshall County. Both are being furnished and free of charge.

The organizations say the homes could not have gone to more deserving people.

The list goes on and on for both Tom Woodward and Shari, the two people who received brand new homes after the Dec. 10 storms. Shari chose not share her last name.

“Wonderful, thankful, blessed, excited,” says Woodward.

“Gratitude, appreciative. It’s a place I can call home again,” Shari says.

Samaritan’s Purse gave Woodward the first home the nonprofit has rebuilt in Mayfield.

Vice President of Operations Edward Graham says their work in the city is far from finished.

“We’re building an entire community of about 50 homes on the other side of the city. It’ll be a brand new community. We’ve got that leveled off and clearing, but that will take about a year or two to build. We’re trying to do it as quickly as possible but we also want quality of work,” Graham says.

God’s Pit Crew built Shari’s home along with two others in the past three weeks, all while balancing relief efforts for the flooding in eastern Kentucky.

Founder Randy Johnson says the western Kentucky team is going to take a break and recharge.

“We’ve just got to get everybody back. Let everybody catch their breath, get our equipment back in shape, and then just look and see ‘What else can we do?’” says Johnson.

It’s a break well deserved.

Shari says God’s Pit Crew has done so much for western Kentucky that it’s hard to put into words.

“Thank you is not enough to say, never be enough to say, for everything that they’ve done,” Shari says.

God’s Pit Crew’s eastern Kentucky team will remain on the ground helping with immediate response, like clearing trees and gutting houses.

The remaining volunteers will be preparing for hurricane season as it continues.

Kentucky Dream Center, the local organization partnering with God’s Pit Crew, is still pledging to assist in recovery efforts for the next two years.

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