More than 500 volunteers rake their way toward affordable housing in Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — More than 500 people traded their Saturday sleep-in for rakes and yard bags on a crisp fall morning, joining Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville for its annual Rake-a-Thon — an event organizers say is about far more than tidying up lawns.

“We are working with over 500 volunteers from our community who will be going all throughout Charlottesville to rake over a hundred lawns in exchange for donations to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville,” said Natalie Burgwin, the organization’s director of resource development.