Volunteers from 10 churches, mosques and synagogues hammered away at a construction site at Snoqualmie Ridge recently to help six families get a new home.

The event, Together We Build, is an Interfaith Coalition of Christians, Jews, and Muslims working together to build houses for low-income families in East King County. The activity is now in its seventh year.

Formed following the events of September 11, several churches embracing different faiths were inspired to look beyond religion and give back to their community on the Eastside. This year, Together We Build joined Habitat for Humanity at Koinonia Ridge for a three-day build event, helping to build Habitat’s 50-home development in Snoqualmie Ridge.

Jews, Muslims and Christians intermixed and worked side-by-side all weekend long. Several dozen youths representing various faiths turned out on Sunday to help do their part in the Together We Build movement. “This experience has definitely been an eye opener,” said youth volunteer Mahin Khadeer as she surveyed the work.

Pencils in hand, several of the youth volunteers wrote messages along the wood beams sheds, wishing the families good luck and God bless.

“It’s a really good opportunity to see things on the same level. So many religions just see the differences, but it’s important to notice that we do have common goals and we are similar. This experience has really helped all of us see that,” said Nagheen Jeddy, a youth volunteer representing the Muslim Association of Puget Sound.

The volunteers came together for lunch, enjoying food that was both Halal and Kosher.

“We all said a prayer before we ate,” Jeddy said. “There are three different faiths represented here, but we all prayed together. That speaks volumes.”

As the Habitat for Humanity Executive Director for East King County, Tom Granger was impressed with the sense of community that evolved from this year’s event.

“This group was formed after 9/11 to help create an understanding between people of different faiths,” he explained, “The fact that it has not only survived but thrived for seven years now is amazing. The leadership with Together We Build should really be commended,” he added.

Granger, an avid builder, was first drawn to Habitat for Humanity 10 years ago. His joy of construction led him to volunteer, but his even greater love for people and impacting their lives for the better has made him stay.

“I’ve stayed around so long now because I got to know the families and hear their stories and how their lives are impacted by Habitat for Humanity,” he said, adding, “It’s such a great program that I got totally hooked and now I work full time for this organization.”

This year, Habitat for Humanity East King County hopes to complete eight homes with the help of individual and group volunteers, sponsorships and AmeriCorps volunteers. Each day, volunteers arrive on the site and pick up where the last group left off.

Typically, volunteers work on the weekdays and Saturday, but Granger made the exception for Together We Build, opening up the site for a day of building on Sunday.

“It’s not typically for a group to be out on Sunday, but because it’s a collation of Muslims, Jews, and Christians who honor the Sabbath on different days we opened up the sight to accommodate them,” Granger explained.

Capping off the weekend event, the volunteers came together at an Interfaith Service held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Bellevue to reflect on the experience.

“I think Together We Build is exciting because it shows how faith can work together towards one goal and this is helping those who are less fortunate and poor,” said volunteer Alice Rowe. “Helping the poor goes beyond politics and beyond religious differences.”

The Together We Build group hopes to continue to inspire hope and community across all religions.

“It’s really about understanding and communication. That will be the only way the troubles of this world are overcome,” Granger said, adding, “It’s not with bombs.”

For more information about Habitat for Humanity or to sign up to volunteer visit www.habitat.org.