By Haylee Pence
PIQUA – Local Piqua resident, Joe Wilson, founded the Neighbors Helping Neighbors volunteer organization to help other Piqua residents by providing landscape services, cleaning services, and painting services.
For the 2022 year, Wilson and his team hope to complete a variety of projects, which will include three different house paintings and three or more landscaping/cleaning projects.
The goal of Neighbors Helping Neighbors is “to help people in need by painting their homes and helping clean up the landscaping,” according to Wilson. The organization was started in response to Wilson’s aid in Trotwood following the Memorial Day tornadoes in 2019, which prompted Wilson to want to bring this type of aid to his own city. Previously in Piqua, there was a similar organization called “Renew Piqua” where volunteers met to paint houses throughout the city.
Piqua residents who are interested in getting assistance for their homes can contact Joe Wilson directly at 937-778-0390. There are criteria for the home being selected, which include the home being owned and lived in by the homeowner, the home must be within Piqua’s city limits, the home must be a single-story home, and the homeowner must be within the income requirements.
Once an application is submitted, Wilson and his team will check the requirements then inspect the home. If the home and requirements are met, then the home is put on the list and will eventually be scheduled. The first project is scheduled for the second Saturday of May with a rain date of the third Saturday.
The first project for 2022 is sponsored by the city of Piqua, which will provide volunteers and could provide donations. Wilson is seeking local businesses to provide sponsoring or donations.
Individuals who are interested in volunteering or donating can also reach Wilson at his phone number above. The painting projects require at least 20 workers while the landscaping/cleaning projects require 10-20 depending on the workload of the project. If individuals are unable to volunteer, but still want to help, Wilson encourages them to provide donations either monetary or by providing meals and drinks to the volunteers.
In 2021, Neighbors Helping Neighbors was able to participate in two projects in October. One project involved cleaning up and landscaping an elderly woman’s home who Wilson knew and had previously helped with personal matters. The other project was helping another woman clean out her gutters. Most of the 2021 year was spent organizing and setting up Neighbors Helping Neighbors through cooperative work with the city of Piqua.
Wilson commented that “volunteering is a good way to meet some people and provide assistance to those who need it and to see their reactions is heartwarming.”
