GREENBACK, Tenn. (WVLT) – Stacey Tate is a veteran, but he has fallen on tough times lately.
Tate was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and is in a wheelchair. Due to the condition of his apartment, he has not been able to leave his home for about a year.
“I don’t think he’s been able to leave his house for a doctor’s appointment for almost a year. He was recently diagnosed with cancer and every time he has to go to an appointment he literally has to call an ambulance to pick him up and take him out of the house,” said Austin Wilemon of Volunteer Handyman.
Volunteer tradesmen are offering their services to Tate for free. Over the next few weekends, Wilemon hopes to repair his porch and install a ramp for him. He also plans to repair floorboards inside the house and do some exterior work on his home with the help of dozens of volunteers.
Brian Chamberlain is a volunteer who helps bring food to Tate. When he went to his house, he noticed that Tate needed help that he couldn’t offer.
“There are three of us who take turns bringing food to Stacey’s food bank, and then I brought him some food when he got out of the hospital and was diagnosed with stage two lung cancer,” Chamberlain said. “That’s when the deck became unacceptable. I didn’t really think about it because I see this kind of thing a lot.”
Chamberlain has been volunteering for over a decade and says it’s amazing to see the community come together in this way to support Tate.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m close to tears. This is unbelievable. Someone who knows me tagged me in a post that Austin made about helping a veteran. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy,'” Chamberlain said.
Volunteer Handyman originally set out to help one veteran each year, but thanks to community support, they’ve been able to go even further. They said there are plans to help two people by Veterans Day, and another project is already planned for next year.
Anyone interested in future volunteer opportunities with Volunteer Handyman can click here for more information.
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