Rick Hanson volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity store in Shawano.
Wolf River Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit ecumenical Christian housing ministry working to bring affordable housing to Shawano and Menominee counties. Partner families hold an interest-free mortgage that is repaid over 20 to 30 years to the local Habitat affiliate. The monthly payments are used to build more houses for additional families.
Habitat has completed 11 homes in the area since 1998 and begins its next project in April.
Habitat families are required to put in 500 hours helping with the build. It is called “sweat equity.”
The organization is supported by sales at its store 320 E. Richmond St., public donations of usable household items for the store, construction materials, cash and/or labor. The store sells building supplies, home-repair materials, appliances and tools donated by trades people and community members.
Hanson was born in upper Michigan and graduated from Stephenson High School. He served in the Navy for four years. Then he worked in Indiana as a truck mechanic before moving in 1974 to Green Bay, where he worked as a tractor-trailer mechanic for 13 years.
Hanson then worked at James River, now Georgia Pacific, for 20 years and at Green Bay Cheese before retiring. He lives in the town of Washington with his wife of 42 years, Linda, who works at Bellin Health. They have two sons and three grandchildren. Hanson enjoys camping, fishing and four-wheeling.
Q How long have you volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity store?
A “It’s been two years now. After I retired, and even before that, I always thought about helping out at Habitat for Humanity with projects. I try to help out one day a week.”
Q What do you do?
A “I help wherever they need me. I help Jerry (Roloff) with listing things on Craigslist, more or less to get information out there. We get emails, and they come and look around. They didn’t realize we had a Habitat store here. I help run the register. Sometimes I help to repair and check things over that come in. Last summer I helped with sealing the roof. In 2013 I helped put a hardwood floor in the home that we were building. I’m gong to try to help out this year with the build. We could use more volunteers to help with it.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A “My feeling is there are a lot of hardworking families out there who have a dream of owning there own home. I own a home. I can help out in my small way. The things I’m doing here one day a week, if you put all volunteers together, their effort is worth it for a family to have their own home.”
The store is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
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