Have you ever heard the story of the starfish, an adaptation of the "Star Thrower" by Loren C. Eisley? It's a story about a young girl walking the beach alongside thousands of starfish washed up on the shore. She begins to throw the starfish back into the ocean one at a time when a man approaches her asking why she would take the time to try and save them when her effort would make no difference. Disheartened by his words, she continued by throwing them as far as she could and said, "Well, I made a difference for that one!" Inspired by the girl, the man joined in by throwing the starfish back into the sea. Eventually, others joined in and soon all of the starfish were saved. On Thursday, August 25th we celebrated a groundbreaking on a lot donated to our affiliate by Upper Township. When Habitat for Humanity breaks ground, we start the process of building a stable foundation for a family who will no longer have to struggle to find affordable housing in Cape May County. However, that one family is now connected to the millions of families around the world Habitat serves every year. In 2018, prior to the pandemic, Habitat collectively helped more than 8.7 million people around the world build and improve the place they call home. In our community and across the world, too many people are suffering from the housing crisis we are currently experiencing. When someone recently reminded us of the story of the starfish - it truly hit home. Our organization continues to build individually as an affiliate and collectively as an international organization, working together to create a tremendous impact that resonates locally and globally. |
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