Mary Thompson of Manassas no longer needs to rely on space heaters to live comfortably.
For about a year, she has been living without heat or air conditioning.
After multiple decades, the Project Mend-A-House (PMAH) client’s system had broken due to old age.
Her luck changed on Thursday, when she received a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit — free of charge.
“It’s just so wonderful. And [PMAH has] done so many things for me,” Thompson said. “I’m just amazed.”
CE Mid-Atlantic provided the system and accessories, which can cost anywhere from $1,800 to $2,000.
“It’s never a bad thing to give back and contribute to the community, ‘cause that’s only going to help everybody else in it,” Business Development Representative Christina Benedict said. “It was just something that we knew that we could do for them and just made it happen.”
Benedict learned about the need from her client, All Star HVAC Owner John Baker.
Members of Baker’s team — Ben Stock, Alex Molina and Jose Sanchez — installed the unit.
“When you’re a business owner, all you think about everyday is, ‘Bottom line. Bottom Line,’ he explained. “And just to kind of wake up today and just know that not to deal with any of that and just ‘We’re helping somebody, I don’t want a penny for this.’ just feels really good — and we need to do it more often, actually.”
Baker decided to donate the service after hearing about the need from Heide Dykstra.
Dykstra, a customer of the the Warrenton-based company, is also a new PMAH Board Member.
“It really is neighbors helping neighbors,” Dykstra said. “So, it’s really neat to see area businesses giving back to a community that needs help.”
PMAH, a Manassas-based non-profit, provides home repairs to seniors, veterans, low-income individuals, and those who have a disability.
Executive Director Karen Mills said she is grateful to the organizations for helping the vulnerable.
