Local nonprofits join forces to keep building a better Swannanoa Valley

Hammer & Heart joins Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry amid growing community needs

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 9, 2025

Hammer & Heart, a nonprofit organization that provides urgent repairs for Swannanoa Valley residents who are unable to maintain their homes, has merged with the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry. Courtesy photo

Since the founding of Hammer & Heart in 2021, its mission to “provide urgent home repairs to neighbors of the Swannanoa Valley who are financially unable to maintain their homes in a safe or livable condition” has been a vital one. The small nonprofit organization immediately set out to address what was already a steady flow of clients in need of its services.

The demand surged last September, when Tropical Storm Helene battered homes across the region, leading to a torrent of requests for assistance, but a new partnership with the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry will strengthen the efforts of both nonprofits.

The idea to establish a collective of skilled volunteer labor capable of offering critical home repairs for local residents in need came to Mark and Kenda Mullert, shortly after the couple opened Black Mountain Handyman in 2018. They launched the Black Mountain Love Project, which later became Hammer & Heart, three years later.

“They kept running into families who couldn’t afford these urgent repairs,” said Ben Fortson, executive director and one of the founders of the nonprofit. “Mark had an idea to form a nonprofit organization that could do this work, so he started inviting other contractors in to get something started.”

Mullert later established a board of directors, which discovered an adaptable model with a history of success in the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County. The organization has been leveraging volunteer efforts and donations to address an aging housing stock and low income level of many homeowners in the area for 22 years.

“They perfectly exhibited this model, and we connected with them early on,” Fortson said. “They were happy to meet with us, share their forms, process and ideas, and that really kickstarted our efforts.”

Hammer & Heart immediately began receiving applications and referrals to repair roofs, floors, plumbing, build wheelchair ramps and install hand rails.

“From the beginning, our focus has been on urgent needs, so if somebody has a hole in their drywall, we probably won’t be able to address that,” Fortson said. “But, if you don’t have heat or you have a leak in the roof, something that threatens your safety or the livability of the home, then we want to help with that.”

The organization assists Swannanoa Valley residents without the financial means to cover costly repairs.

Hammer & Heart coordinates skilled volunteers to provide urgent home repairs to local residents in need. The nonprofit organization, established in 2021, will continue its work, following a merger with the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry. Courtesy photo

“We try to help folks who have a home, but lack resources, like people who live off of social security, people with disabilities, single parents who work and still can’t take on this kind of expense,” Fortson said. “This kind of need has been around for many years, and before we started doing this there have been people in the community doing a lot of this work on their own. We’re just building a way to collaborate for people who want to help.”

Harnessing the generosity of the community to help locals in need has been an effective strategy for the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry for 50 years, according to director Kevin Bates. Throughout most of its history, the nonprofit organization has primarily focused its efforts on crisis resources, including a food bank, rent assistance, clothing and heating assistance.

“We started making these steps towards recognizing that poverty is multi-faceted, so when somebody is coming to us because they can’t pay an energy bill, it’s not just that bill, there is a whole slew of things that are a part of that,” Bates said. “There are always multiple barriers for folks, so as a ministry, we’re really working on partnering with people and organizations in the community that are doing this work already.”

Clients of SVCM and Hammer & Heart often overlap.

“We were referring people to Hammer & Heart and they were referring people to us, regularly,” Bates said. “So, we were having discussions last year about ways to increase our cooperation, but then, obviously, Helene changed everything.”

From the fall of 2021 to September of 2024, Hammer & Heart was repairing approximately 25 to 30 homes per year, according to Fortson. The organization, with only three part-time staff and a network of volunteers, has completed 98 repair projects since the storm, he added.

In its merger with SVCM, the organization will be governed by SVCM board of directors, allowing Fortson and his staff to focus on the increased needs of the community.

Hammer & Heart volunteers build a wheelchair ramp for a Swannanoa Valley homeowner. Courtesy photo

“This organization has a strong board, has had a strong board, and will continue to do have a strong board,” he said. “This lets me, in my role, focus fully on the mission, which is huge.”

Combining the resources of both nonprofit organizations, which received approval from the N.C. Attorney General’s Office, joins the existing Hammer & Heart staff with the 13 employees and two interns working at SVCM.

“We have this existing organizational infrastructure that can help, whether it’s in grant writing or communication, or whatever it may be,” Bates said. “This allows the folks who have been the energy behind Hammer & Heart to be focused on the work of urgent home repairs, and not the administrative work that all nonprofits have to do.”

Establishing an in-house home repair service is the latest post-Helene addition for SVCM, which launched a free health care clinic, NeighborCare, last January.

“This is one example of how we can work with other organizations to try to address a wide range of needs in the community,” Bates said. “The folks at Hammer & Heart, the staff, volunteers and board that was in place, built something really amazing for the people of this community, and we’re honored to continue and expand that mission.”

Hammer & Heart will retain its brand and continue to expand its pool of donors and volunteers, according to Fortson.

“By connecting ourselves to an organization that’s been in this community for 50 years, we’re solidifying the future of Hammer & Heart,” he said. “Joining the SVCM is a major step in ensuring we can continue doing the good work for years to come.”