Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity Announces 21st Annual Hearts & Hammers Gala

Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity (GMM Habitat) announces the 21st annual Hearts & Hammers Gala on Thursday, February 26 at 5 p.m. at the Westin Governor Morris hotel in Morristown. The 2026 gala is GMM Habitat’s largest fundraising event, and the gala will support the organization’s mission of building homes, communities and hope.

“The need for affordable housing in the communities we serve has never been greater,” said Liz DeCoursey, GMM Habitat CEO. “The Hearts and Hammers Gala is a fun night that will help raise critical funds to complete 27 new homes and provide 150 additional families with critical repairs and Aging-in-Place improvements this year.”

The evening’s spotlight will be on a GMM Habitat family as well as the Hearts & Hammers Gala Honorees. Gala honorees for 2026 include: Tom Miskewitz, CEO Champion Container Corporation, with the Professional Partner Award; Mary Lou Panzano, Founder & CEO of Panzano Enterprises, with the Donald H. Kuhn Inspiration Award; and Peoples Security Bank & Trust with the Community Champion Award.

The fun-filled gala features silent and live auctions, a lavish cocktail hour and music. Corporate and specialty sponsorships range from $2,500 to $50,000 and individual tickets are $300 if purchased on or before January 31. Thereafter tickets are $350. For more details, visit: https://www.morrishabitat.org/gala2026 or call 973-891-1934.

Corporate sponsors are stepping up to lend support to GMM Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Major corporate sponsors to date include: Margaret A. Darrin Charitable Trust, Provident Bank, Panzano Bujalski Family, Valley Bank, Crum & Forster, The Messina Family, PNC, Chase, Jim & Vivienne Nigro, North Central Jersey Association of Realtors (NCJAR), New Jersey Natural Gas, Travelers, Sphere Construction Group and Vanguard Energy Partners. Helping to raise awareness for the gala and GMM Habitat’s mission are media sponsors WSUS Radio and WNNJ Radio.

About Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity

Greater Middlesex & Morris Habitat for Humanity (GMM Habitat) is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization, Habitat for Humanity International, committed to building homes, communities, and hope. The organization, which is one of the leading builders affordable housing in New Jersey, serves 68 municipalities in Morris and Middlesex Counties and the greater Plainfield area. Through volunteer labor and monetary donations and materials, GMM Habitat builds affordable new homes and provides home repair services to income eligible families and individuals. Now in its 41st year, GMM Habitat has served 1,100 families through building more than 200 local homes, preserving more than 550 homes for low-income homeowners and seniors, and helping 400 families with housing solutions worldwide. The local affiliate organization has engaged more than 150,000 volunteers in its various programs. GMM Habitat also operates a successful ReStore, a retail home improvement and furnishings outlet in Randolph, which has kept 21,772 tons of reusable materials out of landfills and funded 42 homes since 2007.

For more information, visit gmmhabitat.org or call 973-891-1934.