Women Build | Habitat Monterey Bay

Women Build Wednesday Volunteers (4).jpe

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2021 International Women Build Week

Thank you for joining us to celebrate women’s role in Habitat’s work!

A global event, International Women Build Week focuses on raising awareness of the challenges women face in accessing safe, affordable housing. This year, Lowe’s Stores partnered with Habitat for Humanity affiliates and organizations in the United States, Canada and India to support their efforts in building and improving homes for women and their families.

Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity have a proud history of providing opportunities for women in construction and home improvement. And while there is no substitute for swinging a hammer, we are excited for you to participate through the virtual events during International Women’s Build Week.

Explore the resources on this page, and reach out to betsy@habitatmontereybay.org with any questions

Press Release for media and informational distribution.

Virtual Volunteering

This virtual volunteer engagement aims to provide an opportunity for people to experience volunteering with Habitat and stay safe in the Covid-19 pandemic. There are three components to the opportunity; a build-site walkthrough video with guided orientation, a series of emails throughout February and March highlighting women involved with Habitat, and an interactive “scavenger hunt” activity. The opportunity is available to everyone, and is free! We want you to get to know Habitat and how much we value our volunteers and the women who build, promote, and serve our community!

The components of virtual volunteering are:

A construction site "orientation" and walkthrough video
A series of weekly email bios throughout February and March featuring Women Build sponsors, community leaders, and Habitat board members and homeowners
An interactive scavenger hunt with the opportunity to earn a Women Build T-shirt! Complete three out of 10 engagement options, and send selfies or screenshots to to earn your shirt. Volunteers who complete all ten will also receive a $50 ReStore gift certificate! Registrants will receive the full list; examples of engagement options include:

Visit a woman-led business
Fix or maintain something in your home
“Meet” a Habitat homeowner or board member
Visit one of our ReStores

Virtual Panel Event

On Friday, March 12 from 12-1pm Habitat Monterey Bay hosted an online panel discussion on women and affordable housing. Panel participants included Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Sonja Brunner, Monterey County Supervisors Mary Adams and Wendy Askew, former Watsonville mayor Rebecca Garcia, Habitat volunteer and Otto Construction Project Engineer Toni Little, CFO of Housing Trust Silicon Valley Julie Mahowald, and future Habitat homeowner Kali Campbell.