Meet Martha Shafer, a dedicated Beaches Habitat volunteer for over two decades. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Martha moved to Buffalo, NY, for work in 1990 before settling in Jacksonville in 1995. She was excited to leave the cold weather behind and make Florida her home. That same year, she bought a house and joined Hodges Presbyterian Church.

Her Habitat Origin Story

Martha first got involved with Beaches Habitat in November 1997 when her church joined other local churches to volunteer on a home build. She worked on a house on Dudley Street in Atlantic Beach and was hooked! In 1998, she joined the Beaches Habitat board and served until 2003, when she needed to take care of her aging parents. Even when she couldn’t help with builds, she stayed connected to the organization.

After retiring in 2017, Martha joined AmeriCorps VISTA to work on mortgage regulations in the Beaches Habitat office. That experience made her realize she wanted to be more hands-on. Since then, she has become a regular volunteer on home builds, joined the Family Selection Committee, and returned to the board in 2020.

A Passion for Service

Martha loves volunteering. “It always feels great working with the homeowners – you feel like you’ve really accomplished something in just four hours. It’s also interesting to learn how a board works and helps an organization” she says. Besides working with Beaches Habitat, Martha volunteers with Mission House through her church. Her favorite volunteer days are when there’s good work to do, it’s not too physically demanding, and the weather isn’t too hot!

She finds inspiration in the Bible verse Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” She says this helps her stay focused on what’s truly important. She reflects, “When things get complicated or difficult, it helps me remember what it is that I should be doing on this earth. If I get too involved in myself and lose touch with my passion for serving, it reminds me to touch back in with that good work.”

Martha is a big part of the Beaches Habitat family. Whether she’s in the office, on a home build, or at an event, her kindness and dedication make a difference. We are so grateful for her hard work and commitment.

Thank you, Martha, for all that you do! Volunteer with Beaches Habitat and you might get a chance to work alongside this Habitat rockstar!