Hoffer workers help with Habitat home

Fourteen Hoffer Plastics employees spent a day working on an 1880s home in an Elgin historic district that is being renovated by Habitat For Humanity of Northern Fox Valley. The day's activities, which were sponsored by the Hoffer Foundation, included exterior painting, tiling the kitchen and trimming windows, doors and closets.

The rehab project was started in November of last year and required a considerable amount of work, including gutting and rebuilding most of the structure, taking care to ensure that the rebuilt home conforms to the standards of the Elgin Historic District and maintains the neighborhood's integrity. The goal is to turn the house over to a local family of six by early fall.

"We are grateful for the help of Hoffer's employees on this project," said Bill Klaves, Habitat for Humanity's development director. "The Hoffer Foundation has been involved in Habitat For Humanity for a number of years, through its financial support as well as encouraging individual volunteer efforts."

"The Hoffer family is proud to support Habitat for Humanity in Elgin," said Gretchen Hoffer Farb, director of supply chain for Hoffer Plastics. "Giving back to the community is a core value of our company, and days like this give our employees an opportunity to live those values and help those in need."

Now in its 21st year, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical home-building organization that works around the world to provide safe, decent, affordable shelter for families in need. As an affiliate, our mission is to build homes for qualifying families in our area, selling them at cost, providing zero-interest mortgage loans, and using volunteer labor to control those costs. Founded in 1990, Northern Fox Valley has built and/or rehabbed over 65 homes in Carpentersville, Elgin and St. Charles. The service area extends from Route 176 on the north to Route 38 on the south, from Chicago on the east to Route 47 on the west.

Founded in 1953 and named 2010 Illinois Family Business of the Year, Hoffer Plastics is one of the largest custom injection molding companies in the United States. The firm serves customers around the world in industries that include packaging, automotive, appliances and consumer industrial. The firm's 365,000 square-foot headquarters facility in South Elgin houses 97 production presses, many featuring high-speed automation and robotics capabilities.