Veteran with Preemie Appreciates Help with Rent, Baby Supplies
Army veteran D’Angelo Murray and his wife, Shanniece, were prepared to welcome a new baby, but they got an emotional surprise when baby Roman was born three months premature in November 2023.
Shanniece and Roman are doing well now but those first three months were difficult. The couple lived in Daytona Beach, Florida, after D’Angelo honorably discharged from the Army in 2020. Shanniece has three children from a previous relationship, ages 12, 7, and 6.
While the baby was in the hospital, the couple would make sure Roman’s stepsiblings were taken care of and split their time so someone was always with him at the hospital.
“He was in the hospital for the first three months,” D’Angelo said. “I would get off work and go straight to the hospital. We never missed a day going up there at least for a couple of hours.”
Shanniece was not cleared for work, and D’Angelo was trying to find a job in law enforcement but was not having success. He was taking low-paying security jobs that could not keep up with the bills for their growing family. They needed items for Roman and fell behind on rent.
“It really makes a big difference when you can have that sigh of relief.” – D’Angelo Murray, Army veteran
A former lieutenant of D’Angelo’s knew his situation was dire and tried to find help from veteran organizations. As the two men made calls and scoured the internet, they found Operation Homefront. D’Angelo applied to the Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program, which is designed to provide short-term financial help for military families who are experiencing financial hardship.
Thanks to Operation Homefront’s generous donors, D’Angelo was able to buy $125 worth of critical baby items and pay almost $2,000 in rent.
“We were able to get him his bottle cleaner, additional bottles, bibs, and burp cloths,” D’Angelo said. “We stuck with things we would be using on a daily basis.”
Since 2011, the national nonprofit has provided more than $41 million through its Critical Financial Assistance program to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
D’Angelo appreciates the support of donors who assist service members. He first joined the Army in 2016 after speaking with a mentor. He served overseas but had no combat deployments, he said. He was married at the time and decided to honorably discharge after his contract ended. He was living in Jacksonville, Florida, when he enlisted and after a divorce moved to Daytona Beach where he met Shanniece.
The family is currently moving from Florida to Allendale, South Carolina, where D’Angelo has been accepted into the police academy and can expect to start his job in law enforcement.
While the financial situation is still difficult as the family gets settled and finds housing, he wants to the donors to know their money is well spent.
“It really makes a big difference when you can have that sigh of relief knowing that at least you can get through this next month and next couple of months,” D’Angelo said. “I would love for donors to know that their donations are greatly appreciated. Everything from the staff to the process was smooth. It was definitely a stress reliever.”
