Volunteer Spotlight

Rob Maldonado and Jessica Pacini

Long time volunteers, Rob Maldonado and Jessica Pacini, are a match made on site, literally! Both Rob and Jessica have been volunteering to help build homes with Habitat since early 2010 and have been a couple since that same summer.

“The first day we met, we were working in a team of four installing siding,” Jessica continued, “The other two guys were named Bob and Rob, and by the end of the day, they had all started calling me Bob!”

Working on site together became a quick way to get to know each other and even though staff tried their hardest not to interfere, it was easy to see that getting the two to work together would lead to a great relationship!

“I thought it was a ploy by Rob’s friends,” Jessica joked when asked about how they ended up working together. “It seemed like every time I came out to volunteer, the site supervisor or crew leaders would say to me ‘Why don’t you go work with Rob?’”

Rob has a long history with Habitat for Humanity. He served two years as an AmeriCorps member, including one with East Bay Habitat for Humanity in San Francisco. After his terms of service, Rob turned into a regular volunteer for the Portland/Metro East affiliate for four years. Last year, Rob started to use his knowledge of Habitat and construction materials as a staff member at the Portland ReStore as a warehouse assistant.

Jessica has been volunteering for almost two years, helping out on site whenever she has time off as a manager at Bed, Bath & Beyond. The couple currently volunteers every Thursday at Victoria Cottages.

“I didn’t start volunteering thinking that I would meet someone,” Jessica said. “But I guess it goes to show that you never know who you are going to meet when you come out and volunteer!”

Want to help build homes in your community? Click here to sign up as a volunteer on the Habitat build site!