AUGUSTA — Several miles outside the town of Augusta, a group of Montanans are getting creative with their efforts to support the people of Israel amidst their ongoing war against Hamas.
"Built to Bless - Sheds for Israel" has been working through the snowy, windy days building as many sheds as they can. All of the shed-sale profits will go to help soldiers and families in Israel. Click here to visit the group's Facebook page.
"With the war in Israel, we want to help, but there's not too much we can do from here," said Organizer, Yishai Strain. "A lot of the farmers in Judea and Samaria are shorthanded in funds and protective gear because a lot of the sons and dads are out in Gaza around the northern border, so their families are left in a hostile area. They're needing bulletproof vests, drones, and just basic stuff like food."
Builders FirstSource from Great Falls donated all of the materials while Pro-Tech Steel supplying the roof metal.
Their plan is to create 15 large sheds, fully insulated and wired.
"They're basically like tiny homes when they are done, and then we are building five small 8 by 12 storage sheds.
The builders themselves consist of family members as well as others who were interested in volunteering their time.
John Plocher explained his reasons for volunteering.
"Our family has some close ties to Israel, and we have friends there," he said. "When we heard about the war, we wanted to do something to help support. We do construction locally. I live in the Bitterroot, some people live here in Augusta, and there's some people from out of state."
Despite the cold and windy climate, that hasn't stopped the crew from working hours on end.
"It's been pretty good," Plocher said. "I thought it was going to be a lot worse with cold weather, but when sun comes out, it gets warm pretty quick, and once you get moving, it just keeps you warmer faster."
The group aims to have the sheds complete by the end of October.
The two organizations that the funds will go to:
Hayovell - Operation Ittai: https://serveisrael.com/operation-ittai/
Israel365 Charity - https://www.israel365.com/
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