Volunteers paint for vets

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - It was a messy day for 170 volunteers at the Veteran's Integration Center, as they slapped a fresh coat of white paint on the outside of the building.

Still, the effort was much needed and appreciated by the veterans who call the center their home.

"I think it's a great idea to help the veterans in our state," Volunteer April Steed said.

As the volunteers applied gallons and gallons of fresh paint, some said they felt they were making a difference.

"They decided to serve our country, so we decided to give something back to them because they're doing an important service for us, this is one thing we can do to help," Volunteer David Griffin said.

Organizers said that 170 much needed volunteers showed up to help fix up the center.

"We knew there was an issue with where the veterans are housed, and we thought we would be able to support them," Kim Trinosky with Rebuilding Together Albuquerque said.

It's support that resident veterans said they appreciate.

"It's awesome, it's awesome, I could never realized so many people could come over here," Vietnam Veteran Manuel Valdez said.

The only drawback on Saturday was the messy paint.

"It is very hard to stay clean, especially when you have a blank canvas to get dirty," Griffin said.

No matter how much paint volunteers and organizers ended up "wearing," they called Saturday a success and a big step toward helping those who helped our country.

The Veteran's Center focuses on helping vets who are homeless or in a housing crisis.

The center will get an upgraded fire protection system in the next few months. After that, the rooms will be rehabilitated.