The last thing Dave Kelleher wanted to do was tangle with bees.

But after John Schisel got finished sawing through a section of siding and removed it, bees emerged from the exposed insulation, sending both general contractors scurrying for a can of insect repellent.

“It’s kind of a bummer,” said Kelleher, owner of Coupeville-based Kelleher Construction. “These bees are real docile. They’re nice bees and we’re kind of short on bees.”

The trouble is, Kelleher and Schisel had work to do. Lots of it. And time was short.

The two builders were among about 100 volunteers who participated in the Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers work day event Saturday.

Work crews rose for an early morning breakfast at the Living Hope Foursquare Church in Coupeville, then dispersed to 17 work sites scattered across the central portion of Whidbey Island.

Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers, formed in 2009 as an off-shoot to its sister organization on South Whidbey, is a nonprofit group that organizes an annual work day each May to help homeowners in need with small projects around their residences.

The organization helps those who have trouble doing the work themselves or can’t afford it.

“It’s helping my neighbors,” said Kelly Keilwitz, one of the original members of the Central Whidbey group and owner of Whidbey Sun & Wind. “I strongly believe in charity and goodwill starting on a small scale and working out — first with ourselves and then with our family and then with our community. And this is helping our community become closer together.

“Not only are we helping people who are disadvantaged, we’re getting to know our neighbors. And we’re getting to know our neighbors we’re working with and working for.”

Keilwitz led one of four crews that took on projects at Terry Mobile Park in Coupeville.

Another was led by Schisel, one of several building professionals who worked alongside competitors in the construction business such as Kelleher for a common cause.

Their job was to replace windows on a mobile home — and removing a bees nest.

“It’s a karma thing,” said Kelleher, who’s worked with Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers since it started. “You just treat people the way you want to be treated.

“Anyone can volunteer for this. It’s one day a year. I could go to church, but this is my preference.”

Kelleher said he does such charitable work more than one day a year, as do others, and knows some of these projects that might not have been done otherwise because of costs could hold more value than meets the eye.

“It’s about safety,” he said. “I’ve worked on one of these (mobile homes) that was next door to one that had burned down and they were lucky to get out of it and lucky to be alive.

“The one next door, we had done some electrical work and they had windows that couldn’t open. It was a death trap.”

It made Kelleher think about what might’ve happened had that mobile home instead caught fire instead under those circumstances.

And it reinforced the importance of Hearts & Hammers to him.

“Can we make a difference? You bet,” Kelleher said. “All these different guys working here on these things make a big difference. Doing nothing is not an option to me. We never know if we do something that might some day save someone’s life.”

The projects Saturday ranged from a roof removal, deck teardown and replacement, greenhouse repair, moss removal, stair repairs, yard cleanup and building a ramp for wheelchair accessibility.

Some of the larger projects will carry over to future dates.

Wilson Binger, board president of Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers, said it was a little more difficult this year to find projects and recruit volunteers. He said at least two sailors from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station joined the efforts in the 11th hour and were a big help.

“I went around to all the sites,” Binger said. “My impression was that both the volunteers and homeowners were pretty happy with how the day went and it was a beautiful day. Whoever was responsible for arranging the weather did a wonderful job.”

Binger said he also was thankful for Island County’s continued support in allowing the crews to dispose of trash and yard waste at no cost on the work day.

“We generate something on the order of 10,000 and 16,000 pounds of debris,” Binger said. “That all went to the transfer station.

“The county has been very generous over the years doing this for Hearts & Hammers.”

Joyce Claus and her roommate made lunch for four work crews at Terry Mobile Park Saturday as a way to show appreciation and support.

Keilwitz’ crew painted and re-caulked Claus’ mobile home, finishing at close to 8 p.m.

Claus used to volunteer with Hearts & Hammers and had trouble keeping her hand out of a toolbox Saturday.

But a hip injury and Keilwitz prevented her.

“Kelly wouldn’t let me help,” she said. “He said, ‘You’re the homeowner. You’re not supposed to do the work.’”

Claus said making sandwiches and potato salad and providing drinks for a large group was the least she and her roommate could do.

“I love the program,” Claus said. “It’s great for people like me who don’t have the income to fix something major like this. It’s absolutely wonderful that people come out of the woodwork to volunteer.”

A widow on a fixed income, Claus said she wouldn’t have been able to afford the work.

“This is absolutely a godsend,” she said.