In a nook hidden behind some tree branches off Route 176 near McHenry is 70-year-old Carol Sanders’ home. Since her husband died, taking care of the cozy space hasn’t been easy. She reached out for help, but it was awhile before anyone answered.

Then came Jerry Eiserman.

Inside Sanders’ living room, Eiserman and Max Bee, a volunteer from McHenry’s First United Methodist Church, add life to the blank, wood-planked wall with a colorful painting. Then they clean out another room of any miscellaneous old VCR tapes, an old broken fan, her husband’s old work boots, and old eight-tracks. They tidy it up into spotless condition the best they can.