ESVA Housing mission, with assistance of Pungoteague Ruritan Club, completes first project

Pictured: Members of the Pungoteague Ruritan Club and ESVA Housing Mission volunteers built a 32-foot wheelchair ramp Saturday, May 10 in Eastville. Pictured are: front row, left to right – Adam Hamilton, Paul Custis, William Cathell, Malcolm White, Ed Lampman, Bill Dougherty and Eddie Mears. Second row – Jim Gillett, Lana Pavlick, Jean Sellard, Ellis Dukes and homeowner Virginia Weeks. Back row – Ted Sturgis, Mike Pavlick, David Shaw, Donnie Davis, Taylor Dukes and Michelle Spray. Not pictured is Rick King, construction supervisor.

By Bill Sterling

ESVA Housing Mission completed its first project in Northampton County on Saturday with 13 members of the Pungoteague Ruritan Club working with six ESVA Housing volunteers to build a 32-foot ramp in Eastville.

Starting at 8 a.m., the project was completed by 1 p.m. with some site prep work handled by ESVA Housing Mission the prior day. The Pungoteague Ruritan Club, founded in 1931 and the 10th oldest Ruritan club in the nation, has long made building wheelchair ramps for low income families its key service project in the area it serves.

The ESVA Housing Mission, still less than a year old, has additional projects planned in both Accomack and Northampton counties to meet its mission of providing critical home repairs for those in need.

Statistics show that of the 14,152 households in Accomack County, 2,051 are at or below the poverty level.  Of the 5292 residences in Northampton, 853 are at or below poverty.

Studies also show that an investment in safe homes has over a 200 percent return on reduced medical costs from falls and injuries.

Don Taylor, board advisor for the group, said ESVA Housing is looking for a pool of volunteers to help with the construction of ramps or repairs in the home. Supervision will be provided at the building site to help those with no construction experience. Volunteers can come from civic clubs, churches, schools, individuals and any other group willing to donate a few hours to help their neighbors.

Rick King, construction supervisor, handles the permit process, the acquisition of materials and tools and supervising the project.

A generous grant by Perdue helped the organization get off the ground in late 2024 and a $30,000 donation by Taylor Bank earlier this year allowed ESVA Housing Mission to plan approximately 20 projects in 2025.

If interested in participating, contact  Donna Smith at [email protected] or phone 757-442-9652 or Jennifer Shelton Barnes at [email protected] or call  757-789-5000.

Contributions can be mailed to Treasurer, ESVA Housing, P.O. Box 277., Onancock, Va. 23417.