Halstead and The Home Depot Partner with Tunnel To Towers Foundation

Providing Homes and Hope for Veterans and First Responders

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T) was founded to honor the sacrifice of Stephen Siller, a FDNY Firefighter who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. He became a legend by racing with 60 lbs. of gear on his back through the blockaded Brooklyn Battery Tunnel toward the devastation of the Twin Towers of Manhattan. For more than 20 years since, the Foundation has honored his legacy by providing first responders, veterans, and their families with mortgage-free homes.

Halstead has partnered with The Home Depot to support The Tunnel to Towers Foundation as they build Veteran’s Villages, specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The Home Depot facilitates these building projects by providing discounted materials and products for T2T’s veteran housing nationwide, with Halstead-manufactured Verge Pro dryback as the flooring spec. Halstead team member,Gena Maurrasse, Regional Sales Manager ‑ Pro Northeast, is the main point of contact for this organization.

According to Gena, she became involved with T2T due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which decimated widespread areas in October of 2012 near her home. Sandy left many Long Island residents including the elderly, veterans and first responders desperate for help to rebuild or replace their destroyed homes – and T2T came to the rescue. It was in the aftermath of that destruction that the Halstead/Home Depot partnership was formed to support the cause of providing housing for veterans. Said Blake Matthews, Vice President – Pro Sales, “Gena has done an amazing job supporting Halstead’s role in this mission. This includes working with project managers at T2T, contractors, and architects to make sure everyone involved knows all the details when it comes to our flooring, including design, specification, installation, and supply chain.”