Andrew Ramirez, a disabled Army veteran, has lived in the same Holly Street house his entire life.

So when his friends and neighbors—members of the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Association—learned Meals on Wheels Central Texas was fixing up houses for disabled veterans, they suggested Ramirez’s home for the organization's program.

On Thursday, Ramirez—who served in Desert Storm and severely hurt his back upon his return to Austin—had about 35 guests in the form of The Home Depot and MOWCT volunteers who are giving his home a makeover, complete with a new kitchen, flooring, siding, a wheelchair ramp, landscaping and a flagpole in the front yard.

Down the street, Vietnam War veteran Raul Lopez is also seeing his home transformed with the help of The Home Depot and MOWCTX. He is getting a new roof, a renovated interior and exterior, and a wheelchair ramp for his disabled brother, who lives with him.

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The home renovations are part of MOWCTX’s home repair program, which hires professional contractors to redo homes for low-income citizens, seniors and disabled veterans.

Thad Rosenfeld, MOWCTX’s vice president of communications, said the organization is currently working on more than 30 houses in the Holly neighborhood. As part of its annual Celebration of Service Campaign, The Home Depot is partnering with MOWCTX to renovate Ramirez's and Lopez’s homes.

Ramirez said he is grateful for the renovations and cannot wait to see the finished product.

“I just want to live in a nice, comfortable house,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”

Ramirez receives disability benefits from Veterans Affairs and said he pays more than $7,000 annually in property taxes.

“It’s so expensive to live here,” he said. “Eventually I think I will go to the country, grow my own vegetables, raise my chickens.”