May 22, 2018
“My house was falling down around me,” says Cynthia King of the home she and her husband, Joe, purchased in Smithville, Texas nearly 30 years ago. A faulty foundation and an irreparable roof were just part of the problem - the flooring and windows also desperately needed to be replaced and the electrical system upgraded.
There was a time when Mr. King, who served in the U.S. Navy in the early 1960’s, would have tackled some of the repairs himself – but now, at 72-years old, he’s unable to do so. To make matters even worse, the couple couldn’t afford to pay to have the work done. “Our only other option was [to move into] a nursing home,” Ms. King recalls.
Fortunately, there was another option- one that allows the couple to remain in their home. Generous funding from the Home Depot Foundation allowed Meals on Wheels Central Texas’ Home Repair Program to replace the foundation, roof, flooring, windows, and electrical system. But the assistance didn’t stop there – the project also retrofitted an existing bathroom into one that is now accessible to Ms. King who faces some mobility challenges.
She says the much-needed renovations have made a world of difference and she deeply appreciates the assistance she and her husband received from the Home Depot Foundation and Meals on Wheels Central Texas: “You all are live savers. I can’t thank you enough.”