Table Talk founder Hutson nominated for national award

A nationwide search for tradesmen who give back to their community could end in top honors for a Putnam County man.

Bill Hutson

Table Talk Ministries founder Bill Hutson is one of six craftsmen from around the country who are finalists for the Rebuilding Together Tradesperson of the Year award.

Hutson and wife Pam founded Table Talk in 2002 to help the elderly and disabled with home repairs they cannot afford. Typical projects for Table Talk have included remodeling bathrooms with ruined floors from water leaks, replacing roofs and installing wheelchair ramps.

As someone who got into the work to help people, not for awards, Hutson said he is honored to even be nominated.

"I am already a winner (for) two reasons," Hutson said in a comment on the Rebuilding Together website, "because the people I have been lucky enough to serve over the past 10 years have taught me a thing or two about dignity, survival and gratitude.

"And because I am now included among a group of five other great men who are doing some very wonderful things in their communities and are a tremendous inspiration for others."

Just the same, the Tradesperson of the year award would come with some nice perks, including a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.

Hutson is able to laugh off the Super Bowl trip as being an outdoor game in a cold-weather location, but the $1,000 gift card from Lowe's caught his attention as a difference maker for the ministry.

"That would help a lot," Hutson said.

Although Table Talk has received outside support in the past, it was not recognized as a nonprofit organization until 2006, meaning the expenses all came from the Hutsons up to that point.

Despite long hours as an over-the-road truck driver, Table Talk Ministries founder Bill Hutson spends his free time doing construction work for the elderly and disabled. His commitment has him as one of six finalists for the Rebuilding Together Tradesperson of the Year award.

In just over a decade, they have spent more than $300,000 of their own money to support this labor of love.

All of this is on top of Bill's day job as an over-the-road truck driver for Showtime Concession Supply. After long hours on the road, he spends weekends and evenings helping those less fortunate make home repairs they could not otherwise afford.

Additionally, many of the expenses still come from Hutson's own pocket, a sacrifice he does not mind making.

"Our bills are paid. We got food in our house. They're not cutting our lights off," Hutson told the Banner Graphic in 2009.

Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that provides free home repairs and modifications for low-income homeowners, conducted a nationwide search to find tradesmen who make a difference in their communities, settling on Hutson and five others as finalists.

To vote for Hutson as the Tradesperson of the Year, visit www.rttradespersonoftheyear.com. Voting ends on Oct. 1.

To learn more about Table Talk Ministries, contact Hutson at 301-6060 or billh@tabletalkministries.org or visit www.tabletalkministries.org.