KINGSTON - As we approach the traditional giving season, we all lean a little more toward generosity. But for a certain assembly of non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals, their giving season started in July.

Katrina Boyer of Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho contacted Larry Jeffres, then-Marketing Director of R.C. Worst & Co., a Coeur d'Alene water and wastewater pumping company, in July 2013. They received a request for assistance that fell outside the Habitat for Humanity guidelines, so could not provide the needed help to a worthy family.

Joshua and Christina Mace and their 10 children were reconstructing a home in the Silver Valley, but had no water or sewer services.

"We started this project 90 percent out of necessity," said Christina Mace. "We've been living in my father-in-law's basement since June. People don't want to rent to 12 people. We had the land and the (triple-wide) trailer. We needed to use everything we had to make it work so we don't have to worry about it in the future."

There was a well on the property that had been drilled and capped several years earlier, and Panhandle Health District performed an onsite survey approving the installation of a septic tank and drainfield, but the Maces simply did not have the financial wherewithal to install these vital services.

Jeffres researched what PHD required for septic services, and then began assessing what it would take to get this family closer to moving into their new home.

Enter Allen and Ken Worst of R.C. Worst & Co. Jeffres explained the philanthropic nature of the project to Allen, who agreed to donate materials and Jeffres' time. It soon became clear, though, that the job was more than R.C. Worst & Co. could shoulder by itself.

Jeffres was also the half-time Executive Director of the North Idaho Building Contractors Association, which has members companies such as United Crown Pump and Drilling and H2O Well Services, both of Hayden.

These companies provide similar products as R.C. Worst & Co., but could companies that compete for the same dollars be partners in a common cause effort? The answer turned out to be a resounding yes.

Jeffres contacted Chris and Rich Agueros of United Crown, and they put together a package of donated and at-cost materials that would complete the Maces' water system. Complete it, that is, minus a key component - the well pump itself.

Jeffres then met with Tom Richardson, president of H2O Water Services, who promptly donated a pump to complete the water portion of the project.

With the materials list complete for the well, Chris Aguerous contacted Silver Valley well pump and installation specialist Mike Hohensee. On a Saturday in September, donating his equipment and time, Hohensee installed the well pump, and the Mace family, with joy and appreciation, witnessed the first gallons of water being pulled from deep beneath the surface. Joshua Mace, with the help of his children, installed the pipe and electrical wiring necessary to transport the water from its deep reserve to the house, which was still under construction.

The septic tank and drainfield portion of the project turned out to be more challenging for the team of volunteers than initially estimated. PHD required a 2,000-gallon septic tank, considering the number of occupants of the home. Jeffres contacted Dan Houk, president and CEO of Wilbert Precast, and explained the nature of the project, and that it was at a standstill until this critical component was put into place. The next day, Houk notified him that Wilbert Precast would provide the tank, charging only a delivery fee.

Although R.C. Worst & Co. had donated many of the septic materials, the drainfield assembly required specialized dome chambers. That is when Matt Gibbs of Infiltrator, the manufacturer of the dome products, stepped in. Not only did he donate the chambers, he spent the entire day on site, helping complete the drainfield.

There was one individual who was there from the beginning of the project until its conclusion: Mike Engleby, the owner of Engleby Excavation & Construction, a small excavation company in the Silver Valley. Engleby contributed an exorbitant number of hours to the project. His contribution, in time and dollars, epitomized the spirit of what this team of volunteers accomplished in their quest to help a family in need.

"This was all a huge answer to prayer," said Christina Mace. "This is an awesome group of people who didn't know us or have any special interest in us. The whole thing has been this amazing experience, the impact that our community has had on us, especially our 10 kids.

"It's one of the coolest experiences as a mom to make dinner for my kids, and be able to sit down and enjoy the stuff that people typically take for granted. All of the different groups that came in and said, 'Yeah, we want to help,' they were amazing."

There are many businesses in North Idaho that depend on a healthy construction industry to make their living. This past year of economic recovery has seen many of those businesses grind their way back to a more stable existence.

But, as we all compete for our piece of the pie, we are encouraged by the giving ways of those who contributed to this project for simply the good and the right of it. Many companies who win and lose bids to one another came together and found a way to help a family that needed a big boost with this chapter of their lives.