Sears, Sacramento Nonprofit Team Up To Help Fix Navy Veteran's Home

SOUTH SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A major retailer and a local nonprofit came to the rescue of a U.S. Navy veteran in desperate need of repairs on a home that was falling apart.

Paul and Lynn Starns already used most of their retirement money on those repairs.

Paul tells CBS13 he's been dealing with major problems in the house for more than six years. Now those problems are a thing of the past.

"It's all sealed up, so I don't have to worry about the rot thing," he said.

He can't believe the big thank you he got for serving our country.

"It looks like a new house you know, front to back," he said.

Paul's home was suffering from rotting and peeling walls from a leaking roof and other major infrastucture damage. For six years, the now-truck driver tried to fix it himself, eating through his 401 (k). But the damage only got worse.

So Paul's wife, Lynn, applied for a grant through Rebuilding Together Sacramento, a nonprofit group helping low-income vets piece their lives back together through major home-improvement projects.

When Lynn told Paul about the grant application:

"I was like, yeah whatever, ha ha ha," he said.

And when representatives from the nonprofit came out to assess the damage:

"I was like, yeah whatever, ha ha ha," he said.

Within month, that "whatever" attitude quickly changed when the nonprofit teamed up with the Sears Home Services department and got  to work.

"Because I'm thinking this isn't going ot happen, this is too good to be true," he said.

It's a complete renovation—new siding, windows, floors, kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning upgrade, new appliances and even a backyard makeover.

"We have a lot of struggling people out there and we're able to come out and help them get ahead is very important," said Andrea Jaggers with Rebuilding Together, Sacramento.

"It's very humbling," Paul Starns said.

Sears says it donated around $50,000 in goods and services to Paul.