Women in the Flathead Valley will participate this week in Habitat for Humanity’s ninth annual National Women Build Week to help address the need for affordable housing.

Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley is one of more than 300 Habitat organizations nationwide hosting Women Build projects with support from Lowe’s. The project will support “Home for the Holidays,” a nationwide initiative by Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity to work alongside 1,000 families to help build or repair their homes by the holidays.

Today through Saturday, local volunteers will work alongside the future homebuyers on four new homes currently under construction in the Spring Creek Estates development on the west end of Kalispell at the end of Three Mile Drive.

No construction skills are necessary to participate in this year’s project. To volunteer or donate, call Erin Falcon, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley, at 257-8800 or email volunteer@habitatflathead.org.

 National Women Build Week, held April 30 to May 8, brings together women to devote at least one day to building decent and affordable housing in their local communities. More than 80,000 women from all 50 states have volunteered in previous years.

Lowe’s helped launch National Women Build Week in 2008 and each year provides the support of Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers and conducts how-to clinics at stores to teach volunteers construction skills.

This year, Lowe’s contributed $2 million to National Women Build Week. Since its partnership began in 2003, Lowe’s has committed more than $63 million to Habitat and helped nearly 5,500 families improve their living conditions.