Real-life Benefit of GIVE Act

Barron County Habitat for Humanity, Inc. serves all of Barron County, a rural county with about 45,000 people.  We build homes in partnership with low-income families currently living in inadequate housing in any city, town or village in the county. To date we have built in six different communities from the farthest northeast corner of the county to within ten miles of the southern county line.

Our dedicated volunteers also come from all parts of the county, working 2 to 4 days per week at each build site.  While some volunteers only work once or twice, our rock-solid core of about 6 skilled construction volunteers show up for every work day.  We count on them to lead unskilled volunteers and to keep the job going.

We would be lost without our volunteers, but the gas prices are clearly becoming a limiting factor on how many days they can volunteer.  Being construction type guys, most of them drive trucks and carry some of their own tools.  While they are willing and able to donate their labor, some of them can not afford to donate the cost of gas to drive back & forth from home to the work site.  As a nonprofit organization, we can't afford to pay for their gas either.

The current 14 cents per mile tax deduction is almost a slap in the face to the thousands of volunteers who serve their communities throughout the United States.  I'd hate to imagine what would happen in our country if all the volunteers just stopped.

Terry Warren, Executive Director
Barron County Habitat for Humanity, Inc.