Strength in numbers is the name of the game in a powerful one-day volunteer event.

Now is the time to sign up for the Hearts and Hammers annual work day on May 6 and take part in one of the largest community endeavors on the South End. Raffle tickets can also be purchased to win a special house-themed quilt to benefit the program.

For the past 12 years, Whidbey residents have offered their compassion and labor to help out fellow community members.

“Hearts and Hammers has been as successful as it is because it taps into the universal draw for people to help others,” said Randy Hudson, Hearts and Hammers president. “It’s such a grassroots event that ties in to being part of the community.”

Hearts and Hammers was created 12 years ago to help community members with homes in need of repair; people who are physically or financially unable to fix up their homes themselves.

The number of homes needing repair spiked last year, and this year the need is still high. Forty homes have been selected for repair, needing everything from carpentry and plumbing to yard work and trash removal.

Every single one of the homes is repaired during the annual event. It’s a wonder what a difference one day can make.

“Everyone is always very appreciative and thankful, sometimes almost overwhelmingly so,” Hudson said. “It has made a real big difference in their lives just in that one day.”

Hearts and Hammers needs volunteers of all kinds.

“Anybody who wants to help — we need them,” Hudson said. “We’re looking for all skill levels.”

The repairs are so varied that anyone who is willing is invited to lend a helping hand.

So far, about 230 people have volunteered. But the organization is looking for 350 to 400 volunteers to take part.

“We’ve got a big load, so we definitely need more volunteers,” Hudson said.

If someone is unable to volunteer their labor, they can also help out financially by making a donation.

Many local businesses have generously offered materials at low or no cost. But there are still items that need to be purchased.

Another way to help out Hearts and Hammers is to buy a $2 raffle ticket to win a beautiful, 6-foot-long quilt called, “All Kinds of Houses.” This quilt was designed and sewn by volunteer and board member Marcia Wiley, with finishing touches made by Pamela Uhlig.

The quilt is now on display in the Bayview Cash Store until the work day.

“I’m offering it as a way to make money to fund the program,” Wiley said.

This is only the third quilt Wiley has made, but you could never tell by looking at it.

“I’m fairly new to quilt making, but it was something I always knew I wanted to do,” Wiley said.

The Hearts and Hammers board member started sewing when she was just a little girl, and made her first garment when she was only 10.

“I got my love of quilting from my grandmother,” Wiley said. “I remember being really fascinated as a little girl watching her quilt. She would take ordinary discarded things and make them into these extraordinary quilts.”

After making her first quilt last year, Wiley was hooked. Every quilt she’s made has been donated to a good cause.

Wiley’s passion for quilting shows through her work.

“It was a lot of fun, I’ll tell you, especially to be on the time schedule really pushed my creative juices,” she said. “I just let my mind go crazy and play with it.”

The quilt features nine pieced-together sections, each containing a house.

“I started looking through books and came up with a couple of things that gave me ideas,” Wiley said.

Wiley also found inspiration through old calendars she still had around, and in one of her puzzles.

Besides piecing the fabric together, the quilter also applied material on top of the fabric. They’re hard to notice at first glance, but when giving the quilt a closer look, kitties can be found throughout the design.

“Kitties in the windows, kitties in the trees, any place I could find to put kitties,” Wiley said. “Of course, I love kitties.”

The winning ticket for the classy and creative quilt will be drawn May 6, after the workday is complete.

“I hope we sell a lot of raffle tickets because every dollar that we make goes directly into our program, helping to repair the homes of those in our community,” Wiley said.