Deb and J.R. in their Quilcene home.
If you’ve been around Jefferson County for a while, chances are you’ve met J.R. or Deb, maybe when you bought tomatoes or broccoli from J.R.’s Produce Stand—an area institution for years. While the stand hasn’t been in operation since 2004, neighbors and visitors to the Quilcene food bank still enjoy the fruits of J.R. and Deb’s well-loved garden.
Keeping up with a garden is one thing—keeping up with the demands of a wood-stove, especially as the sole source of heat for your home, is another. According to Deb, “I was seeing the hand-writing on the wall as far as getting the wood in.” Then she heard Executive Director Jamie Maciejewski speak at her church about Habitat’s repair program, and she thought about a number of issues around the house that were becoming more and more problematic. She decided to give Habitat a call. Shortly thereafter a community of volunteers and supporters helped make updates to their home.
A newly remodeled, accessible shower.
Now the house boasts a new heat pump, the stairs where Deb once fell and almost went through a glass door have been repaired and equipped with handrails, and the narrow, rickety shower has been replaced with an accessible tub and shower combination. Of all the improvements, J.R.’s favorite is the tub/shower. “I looooove it,” he says with a trademark grin. “I just go in there and lay back. We should have got it ten years ago. Both of us thank God every day for the shower.”
Stairs and railing by the Boeing Bluebills.
This project was made possible by Program Sponsor First Federal Community Foundation and the hard-working volunteers at the Quilcene Habitat Store. The Boeing Bluebills made repairs to the porch and stairs, AlphaBuilder donated a portion of their labor on the bathroom remodel, and Munn Brothers helped with paperwork. Deb and J.R. will repay part of the project costs through a no-interest loan with Habitat. “I have no words to express the improvement to our quality of life,” says Deb. “It has taken a big burden off of us. It means a lot less work at our age, and a lot less worry. It has made the house more safe, and lets us stay here as long as we can.”