Volunteers landscape two homes for veterans

A group of volunteers broke out their shovels Saturday morning for a good cause.

Habitat for Humanity, with the help of members from Leadership Coachella Valley, spent the morning landscaping two homes. These aren’t just any homes, they’re the future homes of veterans.

Organizers said to landscape the front and back of these two houses could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $18,000. But these veterans are getting the service for free.

Volunteers dug trenches, installed sprinkler systems and added drought-resistant landscaping.

“As a member of the community, to be able to mobilize our community to help people in need, people who could use a break in life, means so much to me. It warms my heart to see people coming out. They could be Christmas shopping. They could be sleeping in. But they’ve given up their Saturday to provide a service to someone who they don’t even know,” said Dave Thornton, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity Coachella Valley.

Leadership Coachella Valley is a program designed to identify, motivate and develop future leaders in our community. Habitat for Humanity hopes to have these homes ready for the veterans to move in by January.