Hurricane Home Goes Green with Jean Insulation

By Fred Whiting

Lucas Bassett, John and Peggy Adams’ three-year-old great nephew, explores the foundation of the Adams’ new home.

“God sent us a bunch of good people, and we just didn’t know what to do,” said Ray Hosey, whose home in Grand Bay, Ala., was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result, Hosey and his family are moving into a new home, constructed by volunteers and supported by Volunteer Mobile and the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, with assistance from the Points of Light Foundation.

The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation designated Volunteer Mobile to receive a grant to build two homes for residents whose houses were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Volunteer Mobile partnered with the Mennonite Disaster Services on the project, and the local Polo outlet provided volunteers to help with the construction.

The special feature of the two homes is that they are equipped with insulation made from recycled blue jeans. The fabric was donated by the Polo Jeans G.I.V.E. (Get Involved. Volunteer. Succeed.) campaign, which has generated more than $100,000 for nonprofit organizations.

As he watched volunteers building his new home, Hosey acknowledged the work of all of those involved: “When God sent these people here, it was a blessing to us, and we thank every single one of them.”