Mary McClure recently turned 84. Years ago, she worked as a cook at the Holy Family Shelter on South Meridian. In a different role at the Indiana Women’s Prison, she supervised inmates doing the cooking. Mary still loves to cook. These days, however, she pursues this passion at home, and that suits her just fine.
Mary has owned her home for twenty years, and she is content staying put. Unfortunately, home repairs have made that a challenge. A call to Indiana 2-1-1 introduced Mary to NeighborLink Indianapolis. Thanks to help from NLI and other agencies, Mary has been able to stay in her own home that once belonged to her mother. The house has been in Mary's family for more than 50 years. It was originally purchased by Mary's mother in 1967. Over the last several years, NLI has helped with her furnace, a hot water heater, and a strong railing for her front porch. Recently, we repaired some shingles on her roof and fixed a problem of water draining into a back corner of her home.
Mary was born in North Augusta, South Carolina. Beginning at age 6, she visited Indianapolis several times before relocating here permanently. She attended Crispus Attucks High School. Mary is the eldest of three sisters. “Until the age of 21, I was an only child,” she says. She has many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In years past, Mary was an avid Bingo player before suddenly giving it all up. “ I played for twenty years straight before stopping one day,” she says. Mary has fond memories of enjoying gospel events at Bugg’s Temple. These days, she is content to listen to sacred music at home and watch (but mostly listen) to television.
Mary has experienced some medical issues, including a knee replacement. However, she is still able to drive, which enables her to get out and about when she needs to
NeighborLink Indianapolis coordinates projects, both large and small, to enable our homeowners to live in dignity and safely in their own homes. We spend an average of $1,000 on a home and $1,500 when we bring in trades partners. Want to help homeowners like Mary? Consider donating. Thanks to donors and energetic volunteers, we are able to help individuals like Mary continue to live their lives with independence and dignity and plan for continuing their legacy by passing their home to future generations.