Last fall, Honeyville served as the Panel Build Sponsor for the home being built for Vanessa Gary and her family through Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County. This was the second year we sponsored a Habitat for Humanity project. With guidance from the Habitat team, our volunteers assembled the walls at our facility before they were transported to the homesite.
Meet the Gary Family
Vanessa is a hardworking single mother of three — Zacariah, DeShawn and Brooklyn — who has spent years working toward a more stable and secure future for her family.
For nearly a decade, Vanessa and her children lived in public housing, where ongoing maintenance issues and safety concerns made it difficult to feel secure. Wanting something better for her family, she applied to Habitat for Humanity after encouragement from a friend who had become a Habitat homeowner.
After being accepted into the program, Vanessa completed financial education classes, strengthened her budgeting skills and worked alongside Habitat’s construction team, gaining new skills and confidence throughout the process.
Her new Habitat home will provide more than a new address. It will give Vanessa and her children a place to celebrate birthdays, host friends and family, build lasting memories and establish a foundation for greater financial stability.
Home Dedication
This summer, we had the opportunity to see the project come full circle. The walls that began as stacks of lumber inside Honeyville’s production facility became part of the completed home. The Gary Family home was officially dedicated on July 15, 2026. Attending their home’s dedication was a meaningful reminder of the volunteers, organizations and community partners that came together to make Habitat’s mission possible.
Continued Support
Supporting Habitat for Humanity is a natural extension of our commitment to the communities where our employees live and work. Our partnership doesn’t end with the Gary family’s home. Honeyville is excited to once again partner with Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County for another Panel Build in the fall of 2026.
We are grateful to Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County for the work they do throughout our community, and especially grateful to the Honeyville employees who continue to volunteer their time to make these builds possible.