OXFORD, N.S. – The newest home in Oxford welcomed its owners this morning, as the keys were handed over for the town’s second Habitat for Humanity home on Little River Road.
Kale Bingley and his son Caleb accepted the keys from Jordan Burkhardt, co-chair of the local Habitat for Humanity committee, on the front lawn in front of a group of supporters, volunteers and sponsors.
“I’m pretty excited,” said Kale, in the kitchen of his new home. “It’s been a lot of work, but it finally came together. It turned out really nice.”
For almost a decade, Kale and seven-year-old son Caleb have been moving between apartments and rental units in communities like Antigonish, New Glasgow and Truro. They moved to Oxford last year, where they rented a mini-home and later moved in with a co-worker.
The new home will allow them to settle down as a family, and the location seems to be a perfect fit.
“He can just walk up the hill and go to school, and I work just a kilometer up the road,” he said. “It’s a great spot.”
The project does not just benefit the Bingleys, but benefits the community as a whole, according to Burkhardt, who also works at Oxford Frozen Foods. He said the employer prides itself on internal growth and development, and believes its employees give it the competitive edge responsible for its success.
“I’ve got to know Kale and Caleb since they arrived in our community, and I couldn’t be happier for them,” he said. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving. This house will create the foundation they needed to allow them to prosper and succeed for many years to come.”
Families for Habitat for Humanity homes are selected on the basis of need, their ability repay a no-down-payment, no-interest mortgage, and their commitment to volunteer 500 hours of sweat equity toward their home and community.
Among those speaking at the key ceremony were Oxford Mayor Trish Stewart, Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia CEO Stephen Doane, and steering committee member Ron Wilson, who thanked all the sponsors, contractors and volunteers who made the project happen.
“It’s been a strong community effort, and I think today shows that, when everybody works together, what a successful project we can have here,” said Wilson.
On one side of the new property sits the town’s first Habitat home, which welcomed its family almost two years ago, and on the other side sits the foundation of the third home, which the committee is looking to get at “as soon as it can."
