Facebook employees teamed up with Rebuilding Together to renovate three residences on the Peninsula Sunday morning.
The social media techies put in some manual labor in the form of painting, electrical work and plumbing as a way to give back to the locals in their Menlo Park neighborhood.
Kenneth Pope Sr.'s parents have been living in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park for 50 years, but the residence's physical state has deteriorated over time. Facebook employees and Rebuilding Together repainted the exterior and made the house's access points more convenient for the elderly couple, something that Pope appreciates.
"God bless (the volunteers)," he said. "They're just strangers helping strangers."
Funds from corporate sponsors, foundations and private donors, along with the nearly 90 volunteers on hand, helped put these projects in the works.
"We love it when corporations here in our community are willing to give back to their own neighbors," Cari Pang Chen, Associate Director of Rebuilding Together Peninsula, said.
Facebook's Director of Facilities and Rebuilding Together board member Fergus O'Shea added that employees came out on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 because it builds on the spirit of helping out those in need.
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"We thought it was a good opportunity reflect, remember the victims and come out here and be very grateful for what we have and give back a little bit to the community," he said.
Despite the kind gesture, Facebook has been criticized in the past for being intrusive and infringing upon low-income housing opportunities in the region.
