A local Vietnam War veteran received a special gift from the community Tuesday.
Ervin Chabrouillaud is a Vietnam veteran who lives in Grover Beach. He says once he retired, his income slowed, making it difficult to keep up with bills and other expenses.
"I did the best I could on what I could on what I had," Chabrouillaud said.
Chabrouillaud reached out to Social Services about his difficult situation and was able to connect with Michael Patrick of the nonprofit Central Coast Veterans Help Veterans.
"He (Chabrouillaud) had actually received a eviction letter from his landlord to de-clutter his property, make improvements," Patrick said.
Patrick says the nonprofit did what they could and as much as they could, but seeing as there were major investments, he reached out to Home Depot in San Luis Obispo to see if there was a way for them to help out.
"I went to the Home Depot in San Luis Obispo and explained the dilemma to the store manager who forwarded that on to Home Depot Foundation who gave us a grant for all of these wonderful things that are showing up here this morning," he explained.
Around 15 volunteers showed up to paint Chabrouillaud's home, install planter boxes, replace his shed, and even gift him with a brand new barbecue.
"It's just actually really rewarding," said Jacob Long, manager of Home Depot in San Luis Obispo. "It's a great thing that Home Depot has to offer. Not very many corporations have this kind of funding to not just give to the community."
