Home improvement projects can be difficult to manage for some of the older people in our community.
With the help of two organizations, one veteran's home got a complete external makeover.
April is National Rebuilding Month and also National Volunteer Month.
Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada and The Home Depot Foundation lend a helping hand to the community in their own ways.
On Wednesday, those worlds collided to help a local Sparks Air Force Veteran, James Goyer, be safer in the comfort of his own home.
Goyer has lived in the same home for 45 years. He is now 91 years old and unable to care for the outside of his home.
Team Depot, a group of volunteers from the Home Depot Foundation, did their part to help him out.
"I think it's so important because it's a veteran first and foremost," said Deana Madrigal, Team Depot Captain. "We want to give back to our associates and community members who have done so much for us to live the way that we live. So, it's just important to come out and do volunteer work to help him out and give back to his life."
Both organizations helped to build a new garden bed, trim back boxwoods, cutting down wood stumps, adding a metal trellis, replacing storm doors and repairing fencing, and more.
Members of this Team Depot are employees from Home Depot locations across northern Nevada.
Since 2011, the foundation had given $500 million to veterans all over the country.Â
For one volunteer, the work hits close to home.
"As somebody who has seen the impact of war across the sixty years of my life," said John Merino, Store Manager at a Home Depot. "You know how some of those individuals have given everything."
For this particular project, Goyer was chosen by RTNNV.
This organization works with senior veterans and disabled people who range from low to extremely low incomes.
"You can imagine the hurdle for them to keep their mortgage current, their insurance intact, and to be able to address, especially in the modern economy, all the other life expenses," said Meg Shea, Executive Director, RTNNV.
For this veteran, they noticed issues with overgrowth of trees in both the front and back yard, which obstructs his ability to see out of his home.
This among other safety concerns, and with his age, they wanted to make it easier for him to manage his home.
"Here he is being able to stay in his home and have safety around that and not have the worry when he goes to bed at night and he hears sounds and he doesn't know what they are, those keeping him up at night," Shea said. "Those do effect his wellbeing."
RTNNV is also accepting applications if you would like to receive help.
Application for home repair services (rebuildingtogethernnv.org)
The team will also be working on houses with other organizations in Carson and South Reno later this month.
