LOREAUVILLE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Margaret Marshall, 65, remembers the day her father bought their home. She was 10 years old and as one of 10 children, she often pitched in to help with her siblings.
“Momma had 10 kids, with two sets of twins, three years apart,” said Mrs. Marshall. “I cooked, cleaned and helped take care of my siblings. That was my job.”
Mrs. Marshall’s childhood family responsibilities paved the way for her career as a housekeeper and caretaker. She spent 25 years doing housework for a family while her husband did the yard work. Now retired, Mrs. Marshall and her husband live on a fixed income and she struggles with various health problems. Arthritis pain makes it difficult for her to care for her aging home, which had fallen into disrepair.
She learned about the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) from her sister. Mrs. Marshall received a $5,200 SNAP grant, which funded the rehabilitation of her bathroom, a hot water heater, a new shower and exterior paint. The new shower was critical for Mrs. Marshall, who until recently used a bathtub that was difficult to get in and out of due to her arthritis.
“You know how frustrating it is when you want to do it but you can’t because you’re hurting,” said Mrs. Marshall of the repairs. “I hugged Mr. Butch after I signed the papers. I was so grateful.”
“Mr. Butch” is Lionel “Butch” Metz, assistant vice president and security officer from First National Bank of Jeanerette, who facilitated the grant process for Mrs. Marshall.
“SNAP grants assist in-need people like the Marshalls who have worked hard their entire lives, but can’t repair their homes due to life circumstances,” he said. “Our partnership with FHLB Dallas is vital to helping our neighbors – our community – live more comfortable lives.”
SNAP grants are awarded through members like First National Bank of Jeanerette to provide grant funds for repair and rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing of eligible, special-needs individuals. Since SNAP’s inception in 2009, more than $15.1 million has been awarded in grants through FHLB Dallas member institutions to assist more than 3,000 families across FHLB Dallas’ five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.
“One of the main factors that ensures SNAP’s impact is partnership,” said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. “Without partnership, there is no access to the grant funds, and without First National Bank of Jeanerette’s commitment to community investment, people like the Marshalls wouldn’t receive critical repairs to their homes.”
In 2018, FHLB Dallas awarded $2 million in SNAP grants that assisted 355 families. In 2019, FHLB Dallas set aside $2.25 million of its 2019 Affordable Housing Program funds for SNAP, which was exhausted in January.
Mrs. Marshall said she is grateful for the grant.
“The grant is awesome because a lot of people don’t have money to do things that they really want to do on their houses,” she said. “I could just cry every time I think of how much the grant helped us. I appreciate this so much.”
To learn more about SNAP, visit fhlb.com/snap.
About First Bank of Jeanerette
First National Bank of Jeanerette (First National Bank) has been defining true community banking for the past 114 years, with continuing service to the communities it serves. When the founders of First National Bank opened the doors of the business in 1905, they did so with a commitment to the principles of independent banking, exceptional service, responsive bankers and value in the accounts and financial services offered. Since 2009, the bank has been honored to offer customers and non-customers the opportunity to receive funding that enabled them to have much needed repairs to their home. Although serving as an independent community bank, First National Bank may be viewed as a small bank to some, but it will always match favorably with many large regional banks with respect to products, services, technologies and loan expertise.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $69.0 billion as of March 31, 2019, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 820 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information.
