Some of the most valued houses in Michiana were some of the least expensive to build.
With donated materials and volunteer labor, 14 “Shalom Houses” have
been built in Michigan and Indiana since 1987. Volunteers have built
one Shalom House each year to raise money for the Michiana Mennonite
Relief Sale. After its completion, the house, usually a ranch-style, is
sold and all the proceeds go toward the the relief sale.
The Shalom House project was started 15 years ago by Wes Culver, an
area realtor, who contacted several contractors with his plan. “The
idea just made sense,” Culver said. “Since the Mennonite/Amish have so
many people in the building trades I thought that they would be willing
to donate their labor and sell material at costs.”
A board formed and met on Saturdays once a month for years. Since then,
the Shalom House board either contacts a developer, or is approached by
one, to obtain a lot at a heavily reduced price.
According to Steve Miller, a Re/Max real estate agent in Goshen
and current chair of the Shalom House project, many things have changed
since the first Shalom houses were built.
“For the first ten or so years, the homes were built and then sold at
auction at the relief sale,” Miller said. “Now a realtor puts it on the
public market.”
According to Culver, the reasons behind auctioning the house at the
sale were simple. “We decided to sell it on the auction method to fit
the spirit/theme of the relief sale,” Culver said. “We hoped there
would be bidders.”
The first house, built on 16th Street, was sold to Herman Hall.
Also, in recent years, the labor has become mostly specialized, with
more work being done by professional volunteers and semi-retired
skilled laborers, although there are special work days for church
groups and other helpers.
“We have work days for framing under the direction of carpenters and
volunteer groups help clean up,” Miller said. “We use skilled labor to
keep quality high and avoid shoddy workmanship.”
It is also becoming more difficult to find enough organizations to
donate materials. The original board thought it would be possible to
have 100 percent of the materials donated, and they were right. But
more recently it has been harder. Places like Leatherman’s
Supplies consistently donate windows and doors, and Quality Excavating
has always been willing to offer their services, but with so many
competing causes, it’s harder to find companies to donate.
“With homes being built by Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls
Club, we’re not receiving as many donations as before,” Miller said.
When the project started, nearly all of the house was built with
donations. Today, donations only cover 65 to 70 percent of the cost of
the house. The remaining cost is covered when the house is sold.
But that hasn’t kept the Shalom House project from growing. It has been
such a big success at the Michiana relief sale that other MCC relief
sales around the country have begun to use similar projects to raise
money. About 14 other relief sales currently raise money by selling
houses built with donated materials and volunteer labor.
Shalom Houses generally sell in the $135,000 to $145,000 price range,
with last year’s house selling for $120,000, generating about $300 for
Mennonite Central Committee for every $100 worth of donated materials.
According to Miller, about 15-20 percent of the money generated during
the Michiana relief sale is from the Shalom House. The total amount of
sales at the 2004 relief sale was $538,881.
The goal of the relief sale is to raise money for Mennonite Central
Committee and to support its worldwide relief programs. Eighty-eight
percent of the proceeds from the relief sales directly support national
and international relief projects. Much of the money comes from the
quilt and antiques auctions and other donations, but a large portion
comes from the proceeds of the Shalom House sale.
The Mennonite relief sale takes place every year on the fourth weekend
in September. Over 6,000 volunteers help make the sale possible by
preparing food, setting up or tearing down, entertaining, or donating
quilts, antiques and other items.
MCC, now in its 82nd year of operation, takes in around $5 million annually from relief sales in the United States and Canada.
