- April 28, 2024
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For Andrea Palmieri and her two kids, nothing feels better than a place to finally call their own.
Monday, June 29, marked a memorable day for the Palmieri family, when they got the chance to unveil their new home, built by Habitat for Humanity and volunteers. Close family and friends surrounded the new homeowner with support and happiness as the Palmieri family’s struggle to find a permanent home finally came to an end.
“I definitely try to forget the reason why we had to have this house donated,” said Andrea Palmieri, who also received many household items and yard equipment from sponsors at the dedication. “We didn’t live a good life before all this… Eventually, and luckily, we had family who gave us a room to sleep in for a while but that still wasn’t exactly a place to call home for my family.”
During the home dedication, Palmieri said much of her support came from her pastor at Church on a Rock, William Knight.
“My wife and I took her children in and we’ve been watching them grow since they were babies,” said Knight, who also blessed Palmieri’s home. “Seeing her not give up is just incredible — she even had to deal with her father going through a liver transplant — and now, seeing her with this house she could call her own is just a new chapter for her and we couldn’t be happier for her.”
Palmieri’s boyfriend, Alex Parker, also worked with volunteers when installing the floor throughout the household.
“It was a tough job,” Parker said. “We had to literally redo the floors over because the first time the floor had a really bad leak. Seeing the finished product, though, really makes it worth it.”
Palmieri added, “Even college students came from the Collegiate Challenge from Syracuse, New York to help build this home. They were up helping putting on the roof and just getting their hands dirty. It didn’t even seem like work to them. Everything was just fun to be around throughout the building of the home.”
Palmieri also expressed how much the home meant to her children.
“I don’t even look at this house as being just mine,” said Palmieri. “This just means that my kids finally will always have a place to sleep; that’s the best part about all of this. They were my inspiration.”
