Lonnie Todd has a lot on his plate. The Navy veteran is a busy father of seven, with five kids still living with him in their south Dallas home.
He was already under a lot of pressure to give them a great Christmas -- and then, a large limb fell on top of his house, badly damaging the roof.
He had no clue how he was going to pay to fix it -- and considered canceling Christmas altogether to get it done.
"It was like 'what's next?'" said Todd. "What's next? Especially with the holidays."
What did happen next is he what he calls a God send.
A group of North Texas contractors recently got together and formed a nonprofit called "Shelter for Soldiers", hoping to help veterans like Todd who are in need of home repairs.
"We just did it as a way to give back to veterans who have given to all of us by serving," said Wayne Foster, one of the founders of Shelter for Soldiers.
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After rounding up the supplies and crews, they went to Todd's house where Thursday, they gave him a brand new roof -- all at no cost to him.
"This is beyond overwhelming," said Todd. "It was a blessing. I really truly appreciate it. You try to do it yourself -- and when God sends somebody your way, you say thank you and do whatever you can to help out."
Now, he and his family can focus on Christmas rather than the danger lurking overhead. Todd says the section of roof that was damaged sat right over his daughters' bedroom.
"To know that I can go to sleep and know that they’re going to be safe and dry in there, it makes me feel good," said Todd.
Shelter for Soldiers hopes this will be the first of many more projects to come.
"We were happy to be able to pull this off right before Christmas," said Foster.
The group recently launched a website, where people can now apply for assistance.
