Your Friends & Neighbors

{ YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS } Hope Is Building

What’s a former DEA agent doing helping to construct houses for the needy?

One of the most destructive hurricanes ever to make landfall, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 proved ruthless in Little Ferry, leaving many homeless. These families desperately needed a hand up, and a significant rescue came from the Greyheads, the nonprofit charitable organization Habitat for Humanity’s senior citizen volunteer force. Among them was Oakland’s Vic Pedalino, whom Bergen County Executive Director Teri Capparelli calls “the leader of the pack”—her contact to assemble the gang. “He always steps up to the plate,” she says.

The Little Ferry experience is just the kind of thing that makes Pedalino, now 74, glad he didn’t choose the sit-back style of retirement after his 29 years as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, followed by post-9/11 work in airport security and top-secret clearance checks. There isn’t a single construction job on the résumé of this versatile volunteer. Yet since 2008 he’s been part of a home-building team, and the father and grandfather loves the camaraderie—and the coffee.

A federal agent for most of your life, how did you get the courage for construction work?

There was no courage involved. I wanted to do something that would be rewarding. I called Habitat, and they said they had a group called the Greyheads, and they were all retired individuals who got together and worked on Wednesday. The ability ranged from novice to skilled people. That rang a bell with me.

At what point in your retirement did you decide it was time to give back?

When I finally stopped working at a paid job, the following week I was doing Habitat.

How many homes have you helped to build?

We completed 11 homes in Englewood, Oradell, Bergenfield, Washington Township, Westwood and Hillsdale. Some of those projects took several years.

Which of the many Habitat families stands out, and why?

When we were working in Washington Township two-plus years ago, one of the families we have become so close to. [The homeowner] told me this was like heaven because they had none of this. The first Christmas we bought gifts for them and their son. One of the things was a train set, and they sent a video of the train around their Christmas tree. What more could you ask for?

Are there others that touched your heart?

That was the same with a house in Bergenfield. The family who lived there came from Paterson. She would always give us stuff, provide us with coffee, she invited us all for breakfast. The families were always jumping over themselves to do for us, and it was we who wanted to do for them.

What about disaster relief?

After Hurricane Sandy, we spent two plus years in Little Ferry helping to restore homes. Ninety percent of Little Ferry was under water. I mean, it was a mess. These people suffered overbearing destruction of their homes. We remediated them. It was dirty work, another place where it was rewarding. These people really appreciated it.

What project found you digging into Teaneck history?

There was a duplex in Teaneck that Habitat and the Greyheads and other volunteers revamped— an old firehouse, right on a residential street. I just couldn’t visualize it, so I did research and located a deputy fire chief who actually worked there. There was a horse-drawn carriage that used to come out of it.

What is it about the camaraderie that fuels your activity with Greyheads?

What has kept me at Habitat for 14 years is the other Greyheads I work with. When I was with DEA, I worked with a great bunch of other agents. I trusted those people with my life and they’re family to me. I didn’t want to miss that [similar feeling of camaraderie] when I stopped working.

How much of a challenge was your lack of construction skills?

I found out very quickly that only one or two people were involved in construction in their careers. We all were on the same level when we worked together.

Do you think you’ll ever retire from Habitat?

I have no plans to stop any time soon. The only problem I’ve experienced all these years is if the Dunkin’ Donuts got there late for coffee time.

Are other family members supportive, and do they also have a passion for volunteering?

Absolutely. My two kids are extremely supportive. They get a big kick out of me doing Habitat for Humanity work because they know how few construction skills I had when I started. My whole immediate family has been involved in volunteer activity as they were growing up, then as adults, and now my grandchildren are doing the same thing. Before the pandemic my girlfriend, Lynn, volunteered weekly at the VA hospital in Lyons and New Jersey Firemen’s Home in Boonton.