Each year, older and/or disabled neighbors may face difficult choices about how to spend fixed incomes. And each August, thousands of Metro Paint-A-Thon volunteers help make exterior home maintenance a no-brainer. Paint-A-Thon scrapes, primes and paints the homes of low-income seniors and people with disabilities - at no cost to the homeowner.

The effort brings stability and beauty to neighborhoods throughout the seven-county metro area while helping homeowners live independently and remain a vital part of their community. This year, volunteers from corporations, congregations, civic groups and schools will paint more than 130 homes the weekend of Aug. 1-2.

To qualify for Paint-A-Thon, homeowners must:

• own and occupy a single-family home in need of paint, but not in need of major repairs.
• live in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington county.
• be 60 years old or more, or have a permanent physical disability (no age minimum).
• meet monthly income guidelines. A household size of one can earn no more than $1,735 per month and a household size of two can earn no more than $2,335 per month.

If you know someone who could benefit from this program, or if you are an eligible homeowner, call the Paint-A-Thon office at 612/721-8687, ext. 321 for information or to request an application. You can also visit www.gmcc.org/paint-a-thon to download an application or e-mail . Deadline to apply is May 8.

Since 1984, Paint-A-Thon volunteers have painted more than 5,900 homes in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Paint-A-Thon is a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, which operates a family of social service programs to help low-income Minnesota families.