A Special Gift For Christmas
The most special gift this Christmas for Marjorie will not be what is brightly wrapped in boxes and bows underneath the tree, but the tree itself.
When Marjorie moved to the United States from Honduras 16 years ago, she was always unable to fit a real pine tree into her small apartments. However, this year the Christmas tree she will buy from a farm in Half Moon Bay will not only symbolize a new home but a healthy living for her family.
“It will remind me of back in Honduras when we had a real Christmas tree,” she says. “Now I have the space and will get to enjoy the smell.”
Marjorie recently acquired a home in Menlo Park with a zero-interest mortgage and no down payment as part of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco’s affordable housing program for local working families. She became eligible for the home following an extensive selection process, 500 hours of “sweat equity” on the constructions site, and after completing Habitat’s homeownership training program.
Before moving into her home, Marjorie, a single mother, lived in a one bedroom apartment in San Mateo with her son and mother. While studying to receive a masters degree in early childhood special education from San Jose State University and working full-time as a social worker, her only private space at the end of the day was a long soak in the bathtub. Now she has a room of her own in the three-bedroom home and is able to relax in privacy. “In the end it is just nice to have the time and space to reflect on the day,” she said.
Marjorie also for the first time has the space to entertain friends and family for the holidays. She will be cooking up a traditional Honduran feast of tamales with banana leaves and paella with chicken, ham and turkey. She also will decorate her tree with traditional bulbs and lights, as well as the special touch of a Honduran nativity scene.
“I feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to become closer to the people that I love.” she says.
Marjorie’s home was made possible through Habitat’s foreclosure recovery effort — the Neighborhood Revitalization Program — helping to stabilize communities that have been hard-hit by the housing crisis. Under the program, which receives support from the city of Menlo Park, local banks, churches and private donors, Habitat Greater San Francisco purchases and renovates foreclosed homes, creating new affordable homeownership opportunities for local families.
