By Raychel Stewart
The Home Depot Foundation and Team Depot associates gathered to support the finishing touches for a new Homes 4 Families veteran community in Santa Clarita on Tuesday morning.
Approximately 120 volunteers worked to add landscapes and a community garden to the area, which consists of 78 homes reserved for veterans.
“This will give kids and families a place to come together,” said Ryan Braddy, foundation field manager of the western division at Home Depot. “Fruits and vegetables can be planted and picked — it’s a great addition to the community.”
Among the volunteers was Juan Bran, a 16-year Army veteran who will be residing in the Veteran Enriched Neighborhood community with his wife and children on Centre Pointe Parkway, in Canyon Country.
“This organization has allowed me to have a place to call home,” Bran said, after explaining he’s had to move frequently. “There’s not much help for people who come back to civilization, which is why I’ve had to move so much. Now I can plant roots here. This is a dream come true for my family.”
Homes 4 Families began the veteran-community project in Santa Clarita in 2014, according to Kim Cherney, Team Depot captain. The foundation has invested $250 million in veteran causes and helped to improve more than 41,000 veteran homes that span over 4,000 cities across the country. The Home Depot Foundation met its quarter-billion-dollar fundraising goal two years earlier, according to Braddy.
“It means a lot for the associated (veterans) to know their work is going to be appreciated,” said Braddy. “Veterans will be able to live comfortably after the volunteers are done here.”
Anyone seeking more information about the program can visit homes4families.org.
