Helping Homebound Heroes - November
October 31, 2019
“Meals on Wheels Central Texas and The Home Depot Foundation really pulled my fat out of the fire,” says 70-year-old Air Force veteran Daniel Estes.
He’s talking about the much-needed improvements Meals on Wheels Home Repair Program made to his house. The repairs were made possible through generous funding from HDF.
Mr. Estes enlisted in the Air Force in 1970 and served in active duty for four years. He was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin where he inspected F-4 fighter jets for corrosion. He then spent two years in the Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1976.
These days, Mr. Estes suffers from emphysema and has no sense of equilibrium which causes him to lose his balance very easily. As a result he uses a rolling walker to get around. But that made it difficult for him to navigate his home which had fallen into disrepair. There were holes in the floor and it was also challenging for him to get in and out of his bathtub. “I had fallen a couple of times getting out of that tub,” he recalls.
He doesn’t have to worry about that anymore thanks to the repairs done by Meals on Wheels and the Home Depot Foundation. Renovations included replacing the tub with a roll-in shower, ripping out the old floor and putting in new laminate tile, and building a new ramp to make it easier for Mr. Estes to get in and out of his home.
He couldn’t be happier with the results. “There are very few organizations that practice what they preach. It’s easy to say thank you for your service and just walk away. But Meals on Wheels and the Home Depot walk the walk.”