MOSES LAKE — Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake will focus on repairing existing homes rather than building a new one in 2025. 

The money raised at this year’s Festival of Trees on Dec. 7 will go toward Habitat’s A Brush with Kindness program, helping low-income homeowners with repairs and safety modifications to their homes. HFHGML has participated in A Brush with Kindness in the past, according to Habitat Executive Director Rebecca Mabius, but in 2025 that will be the organization’s sole focus. 

The event raised a little more than $70,000, according to Mabius, considerably less than last year’s almost $92,000.  

“With an election year, with everything happening in the community, with inflation, we knew going into this that (while) we were hoping to make at least as much as we did last year, we weren’t able to make that number.” 

The anticipated decrease between money raised this year and last is part of why HFHGML decided to focus on A Brush with Kindness rather than building a home in 2025, Mabius said. Applications for home repairs will be opened up in January, she said, and will stay open until all the funds are spoken for. What kinds of repairs are done will depend on the need, she said.  

“This past year, we had a lot of individuals who needed support with replacing or repairing roofs, and so that's what we did,” she said. “We anticipate some of that this year, but we would really like to focus on putting handrails in.” 

The national Habitat for Humanity organization’s website says that A Brush with Kindness repairs are strictly external, like roofing or painting, but Mabius said local organizations have some autonomy in that area, and HFHGML will take on a wider variety of projects. 

“We’ve done … repairing the poles that hold up their garage or the carport,” she said. “We replaced a mainline to somebody’s house that cracked due to roots. We've had a couple other like repairs like that, so we consider our Brush with Kindness program (for) minor to critical repairs.” 

Pastor Eric Frey, of Moses Lake Presbyterian Church, delivered an opening prayer at the Festival of Trees, asking a blessing on Habitat for Humanity and its work. God likes to see his children safe and secure, Frey said. 

“This is an organization that provides homes for people,” he said. “There’s nothing like being able to pull up in front of your own home and to know that it’s yours, that it’s where you can, not just rest your head but share your meals and love your family and that in their home, they will be safe.”