Builders break ground on 2nd ‘Michael’s House’ charity home

The Mungo Homes Foundation, with the support of Mungo Homes and McGuinn Homes, broke ground Monday, Sept. 8 on the second annual Michael’s House, a home built for charity in the Canary Woods community in Hopkins, a census-designated place south of Columbia in Richland County.

Proceeds will be matched by the Mungo Homes Foundation and donated to Homes for HOPE, a nonprofit that partners with the building industry to help families around the world overcome poverty. The project is expected to raise more than $200,000.

The ceremony included remarks from Mungo Homes and McGuinn Homes leaders and a representative of Homes for HOPE, followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking in front of community members, team members from Mungo Homes and McGuinn Homes and local civic leaders.

Michael’s House honors the memory and legacy of company founder Michael J. Mungo, who started building homes in Columbia in 1954. The first Michael’s House, completed in Lexington in early 2025, raised $250,000 for United Way of the Midlands and Homeless No More following its sale.

“My father, Michael Mungo, grew up barefoot and poor in Bethune, South Carolina,” said Steven Mungo, executive chairman of Mungo Homes. “In 1954, he started a homebuilding business, and once he built a better life for himself, he set about helping others build one too. That legacy of giving runs all the way back to our beginnings, and Michael’s House carries it forward with the Mungo Homes Foundation and our new partners at McGuinn Homes.”

The home, a Loblolly floor plan with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,334 square feet, is the first Michael’s House built since McGuinn Homes joined the Mungo family earlier this summer. Mungo Homes, McGuinn Homes and their trade partners are donating labor and materials, or providing them at cost, ensuring the sale of the home generates the largest possible contribution. The home is expected to be completed and listed for sale later this year.

“Michael’s House carries our founder’s name because it carries his belief that we serve so that others are empowered to thrive,” said Geoff Shiley, CEO of Mungo Homes. “Breaking ground on the second annual Michael’s House alongside our new teammates at McGuinn says everything about our shared values and why these two companies belong together. Homes for HOPE helps families in some of the hardest places in the world save, borrow and build a living. We’re honored to put our collective work behind theirs.”

Canary Woods is a McGuinn Homes community, and McGuinn’s Columbia team will lead construction of the home, the company’s third build benefiting Homes for HOPE.

“Our Columbia team and our trade partners stepped up to support this home before the first shovel hit the dirt today,” said Nate Gibson, president of financial strategy at Mungo Homes. “McGuinn has partnered with Homes for HOPE before and has seen firsthand their incredible impact. Giving back has always been part of who we are. Doing it now, as part of the Mungo family on Michael’s House, makes this groundbreaking especially meaningful for our people and partners.”

Once the home is sold, net proceeds will be matched by the Mungo Homes Foundation and donated to Homes for HOPE.

“Thank you to Mungo Homes, the Mungo Homes Foundation and McGuinn Homes for equipping our clients with the tools they need to lift themselves out of generational poverty,” said Kent Rice, partnership representative of Homes for HOPE. “To us, these dollars represent dreams. Dreams of families being able to flourish, take care of their children and have hope for tomorrow. Dreams of living with dignity and purpose, which is a dream we all share.”

To learn more about Michael’s House, visit mungo.com/michaels-house.