Delaware volunteers honor President Carter’s legacy at Habitat for Humanity build site in Wilmington

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For decades after leaving the White House, President Jimmy Carter wielded a hammer with the same determination he brought to the Oval Office. Through his work with Habitat for Humanity, he built more than homes — he built hope, resilience and communities.

On Thursday, Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County honored his legacy by gathering volunteers, leaders and community members to continue his lifelong mission of creating affordable housing for families in need.

“Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County was established in 1986, just as President Carter was starting to work with Habitat internationally,” said Kevin Smith, the local chapter’s CEO. “Since 1985, he has been involved with Habitat for Humanity around the world. He didn’t found Habitat, but he really gave us a prominent position in terms of the organization and what we do.”

“We just want to do our part here in New Castle County to show our respect,” he added.

During a ceremony at a frigid housing site in Wilmington Thursday morning, workers unveiled a framed doorway featuring Carter’s image and symbolizing the countless doors he helped open for families worldwide. The display will be available for the public to view at the Christiana Mall, where people can contribute messages on the doorway before it moves to Habitat’s ReStore in Prices Corner.

As Carter’s work was again getting prominent attention on Thursday’s National Day of Mourning, Smith said he hopes more community members will follow in his footsteps.

“What we’re hoping is that in reflecting on the life of Jimmy Carter, people would think about his life of service and consider how they could get involved with our organization,” he said. “There’s lots of volunteer opportunities — it’s not just about building houses but finding ways to be in service to others, there’s lots of other ways to volunteer and be in service with us.”

Gov.-elect Matt Meyer echoed those sentiments as he reflected on the best way to honor Carter’s legacy.

“About a week ago, someone on my team called and said, ‘President Carter’s funeral is going to be in D.C., and we think we can get you in,’” Meyer said. “I thought about it for 24 hours and said, ‘What am I going to the funeral for?’ The best way to honor the former president is to get out and do something. And I know there’s nothing closer to President Carter’s heart than Habitat for Humanity.”

Meyer also emphasized Carter’s enduring influence on addressing poverty and housing challenges.

“We live in a world today that’s pretty different than the one in 1981 when President Carter left the White House,” he said. “Yet, poverty doesn’t seem to be going away. We have to redouble our efforts, get our hands a little dirty like Jimmy Carter did time and again, and see what we can do to help fix the problem.”

As Carter was being remembered at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning, Habitat continued to expand on his vision with 12 new homes under construction on Wilmington’s East Side as volunteers, leaders and homeowners donned hard hats and picked up tools to help in the work.

“On a day like today, [we] get our hands a little dirty, like Jimmy Carter did time and time again,” Meyer said.