CBC BUILDS FOOD PANTRY WITH THE HANGAR TRADE PROGRAM IN BROOKSHIRE
The Custom Builders Council recently embraced a new construction project in Brookshire, Texas through a newly developed relationship between Allen Griffin, President of Griffin Family of Companies and Dennis Turnipseed, Director of Eyes on ME (EOM) Ministries, a faith-based ministry that exists to mentor, disciple, and serve at-risk youth and their families. EOM is in Sunny Side, Forum Park, Greenspoint and Brookshire at The Hangar Unity Center located off Velasco Road.
Conversations between them focused on how they could offer workforce skills training, a passion for both Allen and Dennis. As chairman of the CBC last year, Allen felt that community outreach and charity programs should be focused on the trades training programs that are in the area, so this met that goal. Because of his involvement in the industry and on the GHBA Workforce Committee, he assisted them with getting connected to HBI, HomeAid Houston’s HomeAid WORKS program and the GHBA’s resources.
The two met on a mission trip to Alaska in 2019 to remodel a pastor’s bathroom in three days. “There, Dennis and I got to know one another and he asked for my assistance with the old school property in Brookshire that EOM had acquired. Over the years I have assisted EOM with consulting on the improvements they were making to the building to become “The Hangar Unity Center” a structure that resembles an airplane hangar.
Last year EOM took a bold step forward and started a trades training program working with the local Brookshire ISD and community to bring 12 high school-age students into the program. The first step to starting the school was the creation of the space for the classroom and procuring tools for the program. Allen consulted and assisted them with remodeling the space with their volunteers and some hired trades.
When the call went out from EOM for funds to procure tools and equipment or donations, Allen made Dennis an offer he couldn’t refuse. He invited their team to his company’s storage space full of construction and woodworking tools to pick and choose what they would like to “store” for Allen. “Over twenty years, I’ve collected a lot of tools that we only use every so often for our construction project and I knew they would be put to better use “stored” at the school,” said Allen.
That bold step of starting the school by EOM has now blossomed into 24 students. The GHBA is offering a grant through Black and Decker that will provide assistance in covering the cost of becoming an HBI-accredited school. HBI accreditation will integrate performance-based learning in the building trades with vocational and academic skills training, including life skills, career development, and on-the-job training. https://hbi.org/curriculum-certification/)
EOM holds a monthly food drive to distribute hundreds of assistance boxes to the local Brookshire community. Local ministries and local companies like Goya Foods have overwhelmingly supported this food drive. The Hangar facility needed a small building to store the donated dry goods between the food distributions. The CBC took this project on in April over two Saturdays and worked alongside twelve students in The Hangar’s trade program. This was an ideal project to provide “hands-on” construction experience for our builders with these future skilled tradespeople who may own businesses in the residential construction field in the future. (any details here about what you all did on the project that weekend would help)
The CBC Builders worked hand in hand with the students and allowed them to put their training into practice. They learned what it is like to physically build a structure starting from scratch with the assistance of experienced builders. While the builders erected the structure, they taught the students how to read the plans, lay out walls, and build from them. Allen instructed the students to lay out a rafter and cut them for a perfect fit; even some builders learned a new skill. On the first Saturday, the students could install the flooring system, build the framing for the walls and cut and install the roof rafters. As the first day wrapped up, you could see the accomplishment on the students’ faces, and they all expressed their excitement about finishing the food pantry on Saturday, April 19th.
"This was a great experience to be out there with the kids and exposing them to something different. Thanks for including us Allen!"
2023 CBC Chairman -Chris Bolio
