CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — Months after a local Vietnam War veteran was forced to leave the storage building he had called home for seven years, a nonprofit and community supporters helped him move into a new home in Catawba County. Jon Eller said he feared he would end up living in a tent before local organizations stepped in to help.
One of the nonprofits, Love Our Veterans Thrift Store (L.O.V.), worked for months to find Eller a place he could call home. At one point, he told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that he thought he was going to have to move into a tent.
[ READ MORE: City forcing Navy vet out of storage building he’s called home for 7 years ]
Eller now has everything he needs from a kitchen to his own bedroom, which is a big difference from the storage building.
“I’m just amazed,” the veteran said. “At one point, I had no idea where my life was going to go. Where my life was going to be.”
That changed earlier this year when Gini Popko from L.O.V. reached out to Eller after learning that he was being forced out of the shed. The nonprofit said customers at its thrift store in southern Catawba County, along with other organizations and businesses in the area, helped out.
“Thanks to everyone, all working together, he’s got his own house,” Popko said. “The day he signed the lease and got the keys and everything, just the smile on his face.”
The nonprofit is helping with Eller’s rent for the next six months. He’s also getting assistance from a veterans program run by HUD. Sweet Dreams in Denver donated a bed.
Eller appreciates everyone who helped.
“I was sweating bullets,” Eller said. “I didn’t know what to do, where to turn, or who to talk to. And these people showed up and basically saved my life.”
L.O.V. said it has helped more than 175 veterans in our area, with much of the proceeds coming from its thrift store along Business 16 and community help.