Rock the Block volunteers improve Davenport neighborhood

Rock the Block, a Habitat for Humanity program, is working to improve a neighborhood in Davenport.

“One part of our program is building new homes, and then a second part is repairing them so families can stay in their homes,” said Ben Kantner, construction director, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities.

Homeowners were able to sign up to have volunteers work on their homes on Saturday.

Projects included staining porches, building railings and trimming trees, which are time- consuming and require physical labor. This type of work is made possible by this program, and helps out those who could use it.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do the tree, you know. And the stain, well … it would’ve taken me a while to do it, but they did it,” said homeowner Felma Sanchez.

Along with beautification projects, the program assists with fixing safety concerns, from a loose railing to a dead tree.

“I have a dead tree that needs to come down or it’s going to fall and hit the whole back of my house,” said homeowner Edward Robinson.

Among the many houses volunteers worked on is a brand new building. Work on this house began last year and inspired the expansion of the Rock the Block program.

“We have decided to expand the area we’re trying to serve by this house so we can impact more families,” Kantner said.

Homeowners in the neighborhood are grateful, and say the help has had a great impact. They enjoy seeing the improvements being made, and look forward to the project’s completion.

“We just appreciate all the volunteers and the Habitat for having this program,” said Sanchez.

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