Handyman Service Will Say ” To Just About Any Project For Needy

Linda Lourey found a few good men, and she’s looking for more. The men perform various odd jobs for those who can’t. And in the process, they gain immeasurable experience.

The Whiskers Handyman Service performs work for the elderly, disabled or anyone who needs extra help. It operates out of the 12-year-old Just Say Yes Ministries in Spokane.

Whiskers Handymen don’t bill their customers for jobs such as yard work or clean-up. Instead, customers send a donation to the ministry. On jobs that require special knowledge through a contractor, the contractor bills the customer directly.

Whiskers Handyman Service currently has an all-male staff. They’ve led troubled lives, but are working to become productive members of society, Lourey said.

The men, referred by churches, detox centers and hospitals, are individuals who are ready to get their lives together and live responsibly, said Lourey, secretary/treasurer of Just Say Yes Ministries.

Funded by donations and money received from contract jobs, Whiskers workers do all types of jobs. They have put up buildings, done yard work, auto body work, painting, and picked up debris from Ice Storm. And after a tornado ripped through Deer Park, they removed a tree from someone’s house, hauled it away, then rebuilt the garage.

The men are taken into the home of Lourey and her husband, Michael. No drinking. No cussing. No drugs. Those are the house rules. “It’s run like a residence home for rebellious teenagers,” she said.

In addition to house rules, Whiskers workers are required to participate fully in the rest of the program. They must get up and clean their area, go to Bible study, make breakfast, then go to work. They aren’t required to be Christian, said Lowry, but they do have to perform all the duties involved.

“Many of these men raised themselves and never learned the basics of responsibility,” said Lowry. “If they get into the habit of working, they get used to it.”

The Handymen are all licensed, bonded and insured.

As need arises and more jobs are requested, Lourey hopes to expand the staff using people from the Union Gospel Mission.

Whiskers Handyman Service is looking for help. It needs people striving to better themselves, who are at least 18 and willing to follow house rules. Participants need not be men.

The Loureys need additional places to house the people, once they become too numerous for the Loureys to accommodate in their own home. They are taking in an entire family this week.

If you have odd jobs you need done, give Lourey a call - anyone requiring assistance is eligible for service, even if they’re strapped for money. “If they can’t afford to hire someone to chip wood, we won’t turn them away,” she said.

“We just want to teach good work ethics. Many (of the men) have never been held accountable for their choices; you have to teach them to be responsible.”

For help, information, or to become a part of Whiskers, call 276-1248.

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