For many people, a new roof or cleared garden brings safety to their homes and beauty to their neighborhoods.

Habitat for Humanity of Utah County is one of the organizations that has branched out from building homes to doing exterior repairs and home upgrades, as well as landscaping.

This week, Habitat for Humanity of Utah County received a $22,500 grant from Lowe’s to help complete at least 15 home preservation projects in Utah County, according to LeAnn Hillman, volunteer and family services manager.

The funding is part of Lowe’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity that includes a donation of $2.5 million to support 100 local habitat groups undertaking home repair projects across the U.S.

“We are excited to be able to help more families in Utah County with Home Preservation because of this generous grant from Lowe’s,” said Alan Hill, Executive Director of the Utah County affiliate.

Hill said this grant will help with 15 projects in Utah County, at least four of which have already been completed.

“So far we have done a roof replacement in Pleasant Grove and trimmed a large tree that was on the roof and creating a hazard. That was for a single elderly woman,” Hillman said.

Hillman added that the grant from Lowe’s has helped them team up with the My Hometown initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Two projects have been completed in the Pioneer Park Neighborhood in Provo with church volunteers.

“One of the five oldest homes in Provo had a fence fix and repainted. The new landscaping will be done in September,” Hillman said. “Just last Saturday we partnered with My Home Town and helped clean-up the yard and painted the porch columns of a home built in 1883.”

Another woman had five generations of her family volunteer to help replace the roof on her mobile home. According to Habitat for Humanity, the roof was in such a state of disrepair that he mobile home park was prepared to take action against her.

Lowe’s sponsored projects will focus on the home’s exterior needs, including painting, patching, minor repair, landscaping and replacement of exterior building materials for maintaining good or sound condition. Projects will utilize local volunteers when possible, and the selected homeowners will donate 10 hours of “sweat equity” by the project’s completion.

HFHUC has partnered with Provo City’s My Hometown Initiative to identify homeowners in designated areas of the city who need help and provide volunteers for the projects.

Projects will not be limited to Provo City, however. Homeowners within Utah County’s boundaries are eligible for HFHUC’s Home Repair program dependent on income, need and willingness to partner with the affiliate.

Future projects include the Sweep the Street activity, to be held Oct. 8-9, in the Geneva Heights neighborhood in Orem. Orem City and the Fuller Center for Housing, an off-shoot of Habitat and HFHUC, will target 36 homes in need of critical home repair.

Access to quality, affordable home repair and modification services continues to be out of reach for low- to moderate-income households across the nation, Hillman noted. With the support of this funding, HFHUC will be able to further its efforts to help families in Utah County address critical health and safety issues in their homes.

Newsletter