Name: Mona and Joe Santarella
Residence: Gulf Stream
Birthplace: Joe: Staten Island, N.Y.; Mona: Syosset, N.Y.
Role: Volunteers for Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County’s ReStore in Boca Raton. Joe is also a board member.
Family: Sons: Joseph Santarella of Denver, and Chris Santarella of Bucks County, Pa. Grandchildren: Marisa, 11, and Elena, 8, of Denver.
Habitat for Humanity works to build affordable homes for people in need. The nonprofit organization’s ReStore, 1799 S. Federal Highway, stocks and sells donated home improvement and building materials. The store will move Jan. 4 to 272 S. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton.
Q. Why did you decide to join Habitat for Humanity?
Joe: When I retired, I recognized that I needed to do something with my time. Habitat appealed to me because it was a more personal organization than other charities I had worked with. You work with people more directly.
Mona: About five years ago, I read in the newspaper that Habitat for Humanity was working on a house in Boca Raton. Joe and I became Future Homeowners Support Partners. It’s a mentorship program for people who are going to receive a home from Habitat. The goal is to help them with budgeting and other homeowner responsibilities like insurance and maintenance. Many of these people had never owned a home, and some didn’t even know anyone else who was a homeowner. Joe joined the board of directors last January.
Q. What are your duties?
Joe: I move things around the store, carry things to people’s cars and stock shelves.
Mona: They asked me to volunteer in four-hour shifts, but now I’m doing two days a week. I work with the customers. I price things and I’m usually the cashier when I’m there. I arrange for donations to be picked up or dropped off. Everything at the store is donated. We don’t buy anything to be sold at profit. It’s all from contributions from different sources. When people come to live in Florida for the first time, they want to redo their homes or condos, so they donate their old sinks, windows and kitchen cabinets.
Q. What keeps you motivated?
Joe: The overwhelming need. There is not enough affordable housing. If it’s so difficult for schoolteachers to own homes, even more so for people who are lower on the socio-economic scale.
Mona: When you see the faces of the homeowners you keep going. They are so grateful.
Q. What has been your most rewarding experience?
Joe: One of the fellows and I delivered cabinets to a lady’s house and she had her whole patio set ready for us to take back to the store.
Q. How can the public donate items?
A. Call the store. We take the information and arrange to pick up items from south Palm Beach County. The things that go quickly are hurricane shutters, cabinets and furniture.
Q. What does Habitat need the most?
A. We are really trying to develop a big core of volunteers to help with public relations. One of our biggest needs in Palm Beach County is land. There is just a limited amount of land for us to build on to provide housing for people in need.
ReStore: 561-362-7284
Habitat for Humanity office in Delray Beach: 561-819-6070.
If you know a Palm Beach County resident who deserves recognition for volunteer work, fax the information to 561-272-3189, or mail to: Unsung Heroes, c/o Minerva Romo, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Delray Beach newsroom, c/o 333 SW 12th Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. Nominations should include volunteer’s name, city of residence, a contact name and phone number, and a brief description of why this person deserves special recognition. For questions, call 561-243-6614.
