FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – A Florence woman has moved into the house built for her by volunteers.
Donna Stubbs, 74, lived in her house for more than 40 years before Florence Councilwoman, Pat Gibson-Hye Moore, stepped in to help. Stubbs said her old house was mold-infested, and its bathroom and bedroom ceilings were falling apart.
Gibson-Hye Moore said she couldn’t believe the conditions Stubbs was living in when she first saw her house.
“It had a big hole in the roof,” Gibson-Hye Moore said. “If it rains that house got flooded. There was mold, mildew, and she was still trying to live there. I don’t know how she even survived in there, especially with all that mold.”
The Councilwoman said she decided to post about Stubbs’ situation on Facebook, and immediately got responses to help rebuild the elderly woman’s home.
“The first day there were about 500 hits,” she said. “Central United Methodist Church stepped in to help.”
Gibson-Hye Moore said the City of Florence demolished Stubbs’ old house, and shortly after, volunteers started to build a new home.
“They worked in the rain, and the snow, all types of weather,” said Gibson-Hye Moore. Stubbs moved into her new, one-bedroom house in early March. She said it was important for the house to be in the same neighborhood as her last home.
“I did not want to give my house away,” Stubbs said. “I did not want to move off the premises. I felt lost because I was born and raised right here. I’ve worked here all of my life.”
Stubbs said she had a lot of memories with her family in her last home that she will carry with her to the new house.
“My oldest girl was six, my youngest one was four, and they all grew up here [in the house],” she said. “Then I had a grandchild that was born here. I miss the memories, but then I still got them [her family].”
Stubbs said she loved to work, and is an independent person who doesn’t like to ask for help.
“It was just bad,” she said. “I was in a bad situation, and I had a roofing that cost much more than I could afford, so then I just gave up.”
She said she’s grateful for the help of the volunteers, and Gibson-Hye Moore. Stubbs’ new home is fully furnished, and all of the utilities, including the washer and dryer, were free.
“I feel free, like a bird,” the 74-year-old said. “Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, but I come in here [the house], and I feel full.”
Stubbs calls her new home her mansion and said she couldn’t be more happy.
“I’m blessed,” she said as she teared up on her new back porch. “Just to know I’m free, and it’s not going to rain on me. I’m just glad it’s over with.”
Gibson-Hye Moore said the smile on Stubbs’ face when she saw her new home was priceless.
“She makes you happy just by looking at her,” the Councilwoman said. “Because you can tell there’s joy, there’s happiness, and there’s thankfulness in her heart.”
Gibson-Hye Moore said it’s comforting to know Stubbs now has a safe, and reliable, place to live. The Councilwoman said Stubbs recently received another, large gift.
“She didn’t have anything to drive, and somebody she works for gave her a used car,” Gibson-Hye Moore explained. “That car kept breaking down, so they took her, and bought her a new Kia.”
Stubbs said she felt grateful to know people care about her well-being.
“It ain’t about the money,” Stubbs said. “It’s about the time, the labor, and the love I now have in this house.”
