Lake City Bank employees put together the interior and exterior walls of a Habitat for Humanity home Friday, June 13.

Text and Photos
By Elizabeth Hershberger
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Lake City Bank, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County, built the walls of a Habitat home in their downtown parking lot Friday, June 13.

Starting at 8 a.m., more than 50 Lake City Bank employees walked out of their office to hammer together over 40 sections of the home, built for a family of six in Mentone.

Habitat for Humanity calls these construction projects “panel builds.” The lumber is pre-cut and labeled by Habitat for assembly and then transported to a company’s parking lot. According to Dennis Judy, construction manager, the planning starts several weeks in advance, while the preparatory work takes about a week. “This is the biggest house we have built since I’ve been here,” said Judy. He has been with Habitat for Humanity for about six years. 

The bulk of the work was done in only four hours. Employees at Lake City Bank worked in two shifts, the first group of 25 starting at 8 a.m. and the second group of about 25 taking over around halfway through the build.

Habitat provided all the tools, safety equipment and supervision necessary for the build. In the end, all the “panels” of the house were assembled together to make the frame of the house, standing upright in the parking lot. “I think it’s neat how the homeowner gets to see it before it goes on the property,” said Athena Stenstrom, a volunteer from Lake City Bank.

The build was finished shortly after noon. Volunteers scattered throughout the home to write encouraging messages, good wishes and prayers for the family on the walls of the home. “I am very excited,” said Tiffany Bach, future homeowner.

Dennis Judy, right, encouraged the volunteers to leave messages for Tiffany Bach’s family on the walls of the home. Bach is shown on the left.

“At Lake City Bank, we believe in building strong communities, and supporting families and affordable housing is a critical component of that mission,” said David M. Findlay, chairman and chief executive officer of Lake City Bank. “Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County for this panel build was a unique opportunity for our team to come together right here on our downtown Warsaw campus and make a meaningful impact. We always enjoy rolling up our sleeves to work on Habitat for Humanity projects.”

The frame was then disassembled into sections and shipped to the build site in Mentone, with the service donated by Metzger Trucking. Once there, the panel build will jumpstart the framing of the next Habitat home, which broke ground in May.

“Panel builds are an excellent way for local companies like Lake City Bank to support Habitat and get their employees involved in giving back” said Ben Logan, Habitat’s director. “We are incredibly grateful for Lake City Bank’s generous sponsorship and support; it is truly needed when the demand for affordable housing is at an all-time high.”

This panel build was the second one to be completed by the local Habitat for Humanity, with the first occurring last summer with Wildman Business Group. A future women-only build is planned in the fall for a third home. Building three homes in 2025 is a record for the local Habitat for Humanity.

To learn how to get your business building with Habitat for Humanity, visit kosciuskohabitat.org, call its office at (574) 269-4104 or follow on Facebook (@kosciuskohabitat).