Divya and Terry McArthur got more than they bargained for at a taping ofThe Tonight Showon Tuesday.
Operation Blessing
RELATED VIDEO: Jimmy Fallon Shares Behind-The-Scenes Stories Of His Most Memorable ‘SNL’ Sketches
Divya, whoowns a salonin downtown Lumberton, says that she and her husband, Terry, a corrections officer, have tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for their twelve-year-old son, Christian, despite their circumstances.
“I was sad and I was angry, but it takes more energy to be sad than it does to be happy,” Divya tells PEOPLE. “I decided that I was not gonna allow this to break me. We have a son, and he’s watching us. I want things to be as normal as possible for him. I’d like to think I don’t have any enemies, but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It will shake your foundation. Literally.”
The McArthur family’s predicament was brought to the attention to The Home Depot Foundation and their nonprofit partner Operation Blessing after Hurricane Florence. The organizations have teamed up to replace the roof, repaint the house and provide a new furnace (the McArthur’s have been without one since 2016). They will also provide appliances, refurnish the house and make over the backyard.
“We’re helping make the repairs to not only make the house again, but make it a home for the McArthurs,” Shannon Gerber, Executive Director of The Home Depot Foundation tells PEOPLE.
The foundation, along with a 400,000-strong associate-led volunteer force, have committed $5 million to disaster relief in 2018 alone.
“This has allowed me to see that even with the headlines today, there is still hope for us,” Divya says. “There are still those that have their heart for other people.”
source: people.com
