Hammers, pitchforks, a few dozen plants, and two gigantic piles of dirt. With these tools alone, the Habitats for Humanity clubs from North Plainfield, Somerville, and, of course, Hillsborough High School were given a singular task– turn this barren pile of land into a garden for a family.

“For the past three years I’ve been working with Habitat Clubs from a number of local high schools,” Habitats coordinator Rebecca Maier said. “This year, we were so excited that the timing of the landscaping project fell during the school year and we wanted to extend an invitation to the students from the local Habitat Clubs to participate.”

The trip, which lasted for four and a half hours and took students through the hottest hour of the day, marked one of the first construction trips, or “builds”,  which many students had been allowed to take. With heavy restrictions on power tools, overhead construction, and sharp objects for the under-18 set, many younger Habitats members had few opportunities to do physical volunteer work for the club.

“This year was my first time on a build,” club vice president Alexandra Mure said. “It was a great experience. I also enjoyed all the events and fundraisers we did this year.”

However, this trip also marked a bittersweet moment for the Hillsborough Habitats club, as it will be the final build in which current club president Adrianna Yaccarino and vice president Alexandra Mure will take part.

“I hope next year’s club members stay motivated to keep giving back to the community because it is extremely rewarding,” Mure said. “It is important to stay positive and determined, and to be creative with finding ways to raise money for the organization.”