‘It Means A Lot’: Randolph Army Veteran Gets New Roof From Operation Homefront

By Rachel Holt

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    RANDOLPH, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A construction crew hard at work building a new roof for a deserving homeowner. Admira Depina is a former staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, explained she, “did almost 10 years in the Army. Did one tour in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. I was medically retired back in 2018.”

Admira recently moved to Randolph, and quickly realized her new home would require a lot of work.

“When she first moved in, she had quite a few renovations that she had to get done and six months in she found that her roof was leaking,” said Jason Couto, co-owner of Couto Construction out of New Bedford.

So, Admira reached out to Operation Homefront, a non-profit helping military families around the country.

“We often say our service members served us in our time of need, so now it’s our time to serve them in their time of need. And this is our way of paying it forward and paying it back,” said Rachel Weil, Director of Regional Development at Operation Homefront.

Together with Owens Corning and Couto Construction, the organization was able to give Admira a new roof.

“It’s really great to give back, especially to a single mother with her child and really take this off her plate- not to have to worry about it,” said Derek Couto, co-owner of Couto Construction.

“This is a lot. This is money that can go towards something else, so it means a lot. Words cannot express how thankful my family and I are,” said Admira.

Couto Construction estimates the cost of materials and labor for the new roof at $21,000, but they say giving back to those who have served is priceless.

“The military’s got us covered and in this situation, we were able to give back, and we’ve got them covered,” said Derek.

“When we dedicate ourselves to serve, we don’t really want anything in return. And when someone does offer something in return, it means a lot. And I’m speaking for me and all the veterans out there,” said Depina.

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