ORANGE PARK, Fla. — In November, the Ask Anthony team met a man in Orange Park who was in need of a new roof.
"Ever since Pop died I've been going through all kinds of stuff like this," Michael Gomez told Anthony Austin.
Michael Gomez took ownership of his family home after his father passed away. The house had a leaky roof in desperate need of repairs.
"Right now, I'm putting tarps on it. I'm getting to the point where I'm scared to go up the ladder," Gomez said.
Gomez is disabled, on a fixed income, and lives alone. When Anthony spoke with him in November, he knew he had to help him.
"I got nobody to help me. All my friends are dead. Everyone I know is dead," Gomez replied.
The Ask Anthony team called Builders Care, a faith-based nonprofit that's an extension of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
"What we do is we help low-income elderly, disabled, and veterans with emergency home repairs," Krissy Barkas explained.
Krissy Barkas is the Executive Director. When Anthony called her, she said the organization had just received money to replace roofs for people in need.
"Timing was perfect when you got in touch with me. I sent out the roofers and got the report back that he did need a full roof replacement," Barkas said.
Near the end of March, a day before Gomez's father's birthday, workers came and repaired his roof for free. A much-needed blessing for Gomez who had just gotten out of the hospital after heart surgery.
After Anthony made the initial phone call in November, it took about four months to make it happen, but Gomez said he held on to hope.
"I really counted on you and you came through when I needed you," Gomez added.
If you would like to help a veteran in need and support Builders Care, this Saturday is the third Annual Hometown Hero’s Ride. It will support Army Staff Sgt. Karlton Berry, a veteran who was paralyzed in the line of duty.
The event will begin and end at Adamec Harley-Davidson of St. Augustine. Registration will run from 8:30 –10:30 a.m., and the ride will start at 11 a.m. The cost is $25 per motorcycle, and the first 300 registered bikes receive a ride t-shirt.
This year’s ride will raise funds to provide needed mobility alterations and repairs to Staff Sgt. Berry’s home as well as other veterans’ homes.