- On the H.O.M.E grounds, a large building, constructed mostly with volunteer
labor, houses the retail gift shop where quilts, crafts, jams, jellies,
Maple syrup and other Maine specialities are sold; a learning center where
basic adult education and GED classes are held; and a fully licensed day
care for low-income families.
- Several cottage industries, including a weaving/spinning studio,
pottery studio, woodworking shop, sawmill and shingle
mill, offer training and employment.
- An automotive garage offers discounted rates for employees and
low-income individuals.
- A free health clinic serves low-income families who cannot afford
health care and a free dental clinic is expected in the near future.
- Seven homeless shelters, a soup kitchen, and a food
pantry provide food and shelter to families who otherwise would not
have enough to eat.
- A construction crew works with the Covenant Community Land Trust
(CCLT) to offer affordable housing to low-income families. Currently
H.O.M.E./CCLT have built 34 houses and plan to build 14 more over the next
three years.
Homeworkers Organized for More Employment, Inc. (H.O.M.E.)
December, 2001
In 1970, Homeworkers Organized for More Employment, Inc. (H.O.M.E.) was
founded as a craft cooperative by Sister Lucy A. Poulin, a contemplative
Carmelite Nun who at the time lived in a monastery in Orland, Maine. After a
local shoe factory went out of business, a woman who had lost her job came to
Sister Lucy and pleaded, "Please, can you help me? I have no money, but I
can make beautiful quilts. Can you help me sell them?" This simple request
inspired Lucy to work with the community to create an opportunity for local
women who were struggling to make ends meet to earn money selling the crafts
they already knew how to make. And so, H.O.M.E. was born.
Kathy Hartford and her twin sister Karen first learned about H.O.M.E. when they
applied for a house through H.O.M.E.'s partnership with the Covenant Community
Land Trust, a program similar to Habitat for Humanity. "Sister Lucy knew
we were struggling and she jumped in to help us out," Kathy explains,
"She is a very special person in our lives." The twins were both
approved for a home and lived as next door neighbors for several years.
With Kathy's four children and her sister's three children, the cost of child-care could be astronomical. When H.O.M.E. offered a training course on how to make wreaths, Kathy and Karen took the opportunity to learn a craft they had grown up watching their mother make. Wreath-making offered Kathy and Karen a chance to earn extra money for Christmas, while working from home. Wreath-making is a difficult craft to learn, however. Kathy remembers, "We kept working at it and working at it. The first couple of years were scary. If the wind were to blow, there would probably have been nothing but the ring hanging on the door."
Through their ten years of experience making wreaths, Kathy and her sister have learned plenty. Kathy shares, "You develop a keen sense of what it's suppose to feel like. You have to really know what a handful is. You've got to get the feel of how tight the wire needs to be around the ring. It's hard work, there's no doubt." After their first class together, Kathy and Karen have continued to make their wreaths together. "Working together with Karen makes the work much more fun. She's not just my sister, she's my best friend," Kathy exclaims.
Together, the twins make over 400 wreaths every Christmas, beginning at the end of October. For the last seven years, Kathy has worked as a manger for a 66-unit apartment complex, but is able to work out of her home to make the wreaths during the holiday season.
Creating comprehensive community development in isolated areas is a challenge. In
the last three decades, however, H.O.M.E. has grown from a craft store housed in
one small building to a substantial organization. H.O.M.E.'s many projects help
the community address their needs with grassroots-focused and people-led
development.
. . .
H.O.M.E. is a member of the Rural Coalition's SuperMarket project and facilitates
"Mexico to Maine: Mano a Mano" (Hand to Hand). Through the leadership
of Father Randy Eldridge, RC Board member and Chair of the Marketing Committee,
our Mexico members are able to sell their products directly to consumers in the
U.S. H.O.M.E also has a relationship with a sister community in San Juan
Comalapa, Guatemala. Four times a year, a H.O.M.E. delegation travels on a
ten-day excursion to take part in the lives of their sisters and brothers in
rural Latin America. Like H.O.M.E., their sister community has gifted craft
workers. You can purchase their unique hand woven gifts and wall hangings as
well as Mexican products through the
SuperMarketCoop website.