Veterans make huge sacrifices for their country when they head overseas to risk their lives for our freedom. Despite this, veterans often come home to find that the sacrifices they have made are not appreciated at all by their fellow Americans.

That’s why it’s always nice to see veterans be given the appreciation that they deserve!

Navy veteran Eddie Browning and his wife Cindy had been living in a camper that had fallen into disrepair for years. Things got even worse when the camper was further damaged by a fire, and the Brownings did not have the money to pay for it to be repaired. This meant that they were left largely exposed to the freezing cold temperatures in the middle of winter.

“We’ve been freezing to death,” Eddie said.

When students from Elm Street Elementary in Rome, Georgia heard what the Brownings were going through, they knew they had to do something. One year ago, they came up with the idea of building a tiny house for a homeless veteran. They ran into a roadblock when they could not find a place to build the home legally, but that’s when organizers of the Georgia Tiny House Festival at Ooh La La Lavender Farms by offering to allow the children to store the home on their farm.

The students originally planned to build a four feet by eight feet home and fill it with a sleeping bag, supplies, and a propane heater. The house was not initially going to have plumbing or electricity. However, donors and corporate sponsors stepped in to help them add another extension to the house, and to put in electricity and plumbing.

When the Brownings attended the festival, they were taken to an area where tiny homes were displayed, thinking they were only going to look around. When they were told one of the houses was theirs, they were overwhelmed by emotion and burst into tears.

“I don’t have the words to tell you what we feel,” Eddie said.

“It’s like a dream,” Cindy added.

The couple said that they can’t wait to have a home that will allow them to escape the cold.

“[This] will be warm,” Eddie said.

It’s so nice to see a community give back to a veteran in need! Watch the Brownings get given their home in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!