First Homeaid Cares Day For GE Consumer & Industrial; One-Day
Blitz at Family Emergency Shelter Coalition (FESCO) Facility
Receives New Coat of Paint and GE Appliances
Photos Available Upon Request
HAYWARD, Calif., June 18, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for America's temporarily homeless, and GE Consumer & Industrial volunteers joined forces for a "HomeAid Cares Day" on Saturday, June 9 in Hayward, California to make life brighter for the residents of Banyan House. Built by HomeAid Northern California, Standard Pacific Homes, and FESCO's (Family Emergency Shelter Coalition) public and private funders, the 32-bed FESCO-operated Banyan House transitional housing facility received a new coat of interior paint and GE appliances for homeless families dealing with illness, job loss, divorce and the scarcity of affordable housing.
Frazee Paints generously donated paint and painting lessons, with Kelly Moore providing supplies to complete the one-day painting blitz that focused on renewing the dining hall and main living areas.
"We enjoyed this opportunity to brighten the lives of the Banyan House residents through our first HomeAid Cares Day volunteer effort," said Randall Fong, West Area Manager - Appliances for GE Consumer & Industrial. "GE is proud to partner with HomeAid to make a difference in the lives of homeless families and individuals in our Bay Area community and across the U.S." GE also donated five new microwaves to FESCO to be used at Banyan House and its other facilities.
FESCO program manager Keiko Okahashi at Banyan House welcomed the outpouring of help and generosity from GE Consumer & Industrial volunteers, HomeAid, Frazee Paints and Kelly Moore to renew the eight-family home. A crucial part of FESCO's mission is to provide residents with counseling and life skills education; and children with tutoring, mentoring, self-esteem classes and basic nutrition education. Okahashi noted that the recent paint facelift will be appreciated by the residents and add to the dignified home environment.
GE Consumer & Industrial's recent volunteer effort is one of many programs where GE is helping HomeAid build dignified housing for temporarily homeless across the U.S. Since 2006, the industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services has been a generous national donor of HomeAid with cash and numerous product contributions that support HomeAid's mission across its 21-chapter organization, including rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
"Studies show that a homeless person's physical environment plays a crucial role in rebuilding self-sufficiency, and GE Consumer & Industrial's donation of time and resources through its volunteer corps is a tremendous asset to Banyan House," said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. "With a long tradition of community-oriented volunteerism, we look forward to working with GE on future projects that create dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives."
About GE Consumer & Industrial
GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. GE brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram(r), Profile, GE(r), Hotpoint(r), SmartWater(tm), and Reveal(r) consumer brands, and Entellisys(tm) industrial brand.
About FESCO (Family Emergency Shelter Coalition)
The parent non-profit organization of Banyan House, FESCO is comprised of 30 churches and community members in the Hayward, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and San Leandro, California area, reaching out to serve homeless families with food, shelter, clothing, counseling and links to community resources. FESCO offers a full range of basic and support services to help families get off the streets, and back on their feet. In addition to Banyan House, FESCO operates The Marquis House, a 24-bed emergency shelter (open 24 hours, 7 days a week); and the 4-unit, 3rd Street Transitional Housing which also provides low-cost rental housing with supportive services. FESCO houses approximately 100 families with children each year (approximately 120 adults and more than 200 children).
About HomeAid Northern California
HomeAid Northern California was established in January 1999 as the charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Northern California (HBANC). HomeAid Northern California is actively working to address the problem of homelessness in the growing community. To date, HomeAid Northern California has built and furnished six housing facilities including FESCO's Banyan House, totaling more than 250 beds with three more projects in development.
About HomeAid
HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless. Founded in 1989, the organization has built housing for more than 75,000 men, women and children. Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), HomeAid has completed more than 141 housing projects nationwide with another 60 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 21 chapters in 15 states and four offices in Newport Beach, CA (headquarters); Washington, D.C.; Augusta, GA; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane-rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.
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