Eight Days of Hope's Buffalo volunteering event helping 100 Ellicott District homeowners in need with free home repairs

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Eight Days of Hope, a nonprofit organization that help provide for communities during natural disasters and other tumultuous times this week is helping build a better Buffalo with free home repairs for homeowners in need located in Buffalo's Ellicott District.

Eight Days of Hope Buffalo Director Kim Lackey says this the 5th year of service, each year the organization helps out a different district in the City of Buffalo.

"We've worked in Fillmore, University and Masten, last year was Lovejoy and this year is Ellicott District," Lackey told WBEN on Friday.

"When we first came and started the Buffalo outreach in general, our founder, Steve Tybor, met with the mayor, the council members that were at there at the time and just worked with them to kind of think through who's on board with this. Everyone was so excited for us to be here in the city and there has been wonderful partners every single year. So this year, we just work with the city to kind of see where's the biggest needs [are]. What's a district that we haven't gone to that we can love and serve? That's our motto, we want to love and serve the brokenhearted."

Over 1,600 volunteers in over 60 organizations from 37 states all across the country started this Saturday, with many of the volunteers working in the City of Good Neighbors for a majority or all of the 8 Days. Volunteers will work on projects such as roofing, painting, window installation, landscaping, porch repairs, and more.

"That is a record number for us, if they all show up. But last year, we had 200 walkins on the first day, so it's people just showing up because they heard about it and they just walk in and want to serve. It's amazing to see that kind of energy, people in the Buffalo area wanting to serve in that way."

Lackey explains that the work is long but very rewarding. They have an orientation at 7 a.m. and the head out at 8 a.m. to work. The eat lunch on-site and conclude their work everyday at 4 p.m.

In addition to the house repair, a group of volunteers will also be working at JFK Park this year and groups will also be doing lawn care service for the district.

"We're going to be beautifying, working on the baseball diamond, the playgrounds, the mini amphitheater, they have the basketball courts. And then we also have a separate activity that we call Love and Serve Lawn Care. We go door-to-door on different streets in the Ellicott District and beautify the yards that they have [such as] plant flowers, lay mulch and pull weeds," added Lackey.

To learn more about how you can volunteer your time to Eight Days of Hope and you want to sign up for updates, click here.