A few weeks ago, dark clouds would have meant disaster for two Donna families.
"Before we got here there were a lot of leaks in the roof," Eric Sanchez said.
Worrying about rain is now a thing of the past for these families as, piece by piece, Sanchez along with other teenagers from First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, New Mexico helps to rebuild these homes.
"You have a comfortable home and sometimes your own bedroom,” Sanchez said. “These families of five or six are sleeping in one room. They have to deal with leaks and sometimes a foundation that isn't really a foundation."
The teens are hoping to change that by spending their summer patching up roofs, touching up walls, and renovating rooms that have not been touched in years.
With hurricane season upon us—the help could not have come at better time.
"When it starts to rain everyone goes inside and expects shelter,” Lindsay Ogden said. “When you're here and it starts to rain it starts to pour on you regardless of whether you're inside or out."
Ogden said working in this colonia just off Old River Road has opened up her eyes to how tough it is on some families as they try and keep a roof over their heads.
"When you come to areas like this it's just a realization that not everyone has the comforts that you do,” Ogden said.
These teens told Action 4 News that giving up the summer is not much of a sacrifice --because in the end they know they are making life a little easier for those less fortunate.
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