In the wake of his passing, President Jimmy Carter may be remembered just as much for his public service and volunteerism as his presidency, including decades of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. The non-profit's second-largest operation in the country is in Tampa Bay. Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside President Mike Sutton had the opportunity to meet President Carter on multiple occasions, including on his well-known Boyhood Farm in Plains, Georgia. Sutton keeps a photo from that day in his office, showing him shaking hands with the former president. "When I look at this photo, I think the first thing that comes to mind is, here is one of the very few people who was the leader of the free world, and I'm shaking his hands, how many people get the opportunity to do that?" Sutton said. Carter, the 39th president of the United States, began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in the 1980s after he served as president. "He definitely helped to put Habitat on the map in terms of a brand," Sutton said. Carter was a master woodworker, with a work ethic honed by his farm-boy roots. Sutton said it was never about the photo-op for the late president. "There were a lot of jokes that you didn't want to work on his crew because he made you work! For those six or seven hours you were swinging a hammer, you were sweating!" he said. The non-profit builds affordable houses with the help of volunteers and future homeowners, purchased with a 0% mortgage. "I think that 'hand up' not a 'hand out' concept was what drew [Carter] to Habitat, the ability to work alongside future homeowners who are building that sweat equity and swinging the hammer and having the opportunity to leave a legacy for them," Sutton said. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/community/president-jimmy-carter-habitat-for-humanity-tampa-bay/67-ca524198-511a-4c71-babc-eb2e3568d69b