Habitat Family’s First Thanksgiving in New Redwood City Home
Arcenio and his wife Bertha used to prepare two Thanksgiving turkeys in the small kitchen of their cramped one bedroom apartment, load them into the car alongside their four children and drive to his niece’s house to celebrate the holiday, leaving behind the mouth-watering aromas that filled the kitchen after hours of cooking and basting.
This year Arcenio will carve out new holiday traditions. He will start by returning his niece’s hospitality and welcoming her to his new three-bedroom Redwood City home for Thanksgiving dinner. “We have the same amount of food but now our space is bigger and we don’t have to go anywhere. Our family can celebrate with us in our new home,” said Arcenio.
Arcenio and Bertha acquired their home as part of Habitat Greater SF’s affordable housing program for local working families. After completing 500 hours of “sweat equity” on the construction site, as well as extensive homeownership training, the family purchased the home with an affordable, zero-interest mortgage and no down payment.
When Arcenio moved from Mexico to California, he had a goal to provide his family with the space they needed to live comfortably and work towards their dream of homeownership and education. Before moving to their Habitat home, Arcenio’s three daughters shared the bedroom of their small apartment while he and his wife slept on the floor of the living room with their young son. Hosting a family event was out of the question in such tight quarters.
“We are very happy and excited that at last we are going to eat turkey in our own home.”
This year, Arcenio’s children will savor the taste of mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce while creating new memories of their first holiday dinner. Arcenio’s young son may delight in showing relatives his new bedroom and the family will be thankful for the home where many more milestones will be celebrated in the years ahead.
