Brand-new 'home for the holidays' gifted to veteran and his family
AUSTIN, Texas — Just in time for Christmas, one family will get to be “home for the holidays.”
Through Operation Finally Home, a veteran and his family receive the keys to a mortgage-free, custom-built home in Liberty Hill’s Santa Rita Ranch.
Operation Finally Home, along with Highland Homes and H-E-B Operation Appreciation have partnered up to make the gift of a home possible for U.S. Army veteran Sergeant Aaron Cabrera and his family.
ALSO| Austin Pets Alive! gets volunteer help for cold weather preps
“Moving forward, tomorrow is a new day, thanks to all of you,” Sgt. Cabrera said. “A new life begins on the other side of that door; a new life to hopefully make my sons proud and my friends and do as much as I can in this unforgiving world.”
The Cabreras were welcomed to their new Santa Rita fully furnished home Thursday morning.
This marks H-E-B’s 40th home dedication ceremony.
“It’s just truly an honor to be here with each of you, as we welcome home an American hero and his family for his profound service and sacrifice to this great country,” said H-E-B public affairs manager Johnny Mojica.
The new home was built on a lot donated by Santa Rita Ranch.
The mission of Operation Finally Home is to provide custom-built, mortgage-free homes, transitional housing, and home modifications to veterans, first responders, and their families.
And the icing on top? The Cabrera family was also escorted to their new home by the Patriot Guard Riders.
MORE| $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Round Rock
Cabrera and his family were surprised by the news that they were receiving this home in a ceremony last month.
He was under the impression that he was among a group of Purple Heart recipients who were going to be honored during the ceremony.
Unbeknownst to Cabrera, it was just a little bit more special and all to honor him.
“It means the world to my son, and I would never be able to repay this incredible gift,” he said. “I hope to one day to be able to pay it forward in some sort of capacity, so thank you, I appreciate it.”
Finally, being able to step foot in their brand-new home certainly gave more meaning to the saying “home for the holidays” this Christmas for the Cabreras.
