‘Build For Beth’ Kicks Off 16 Day Renovation Project

By Alyssa Martin

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) — A 16-day home renovation project kicked off Saturday in Tupelo. Volunteers from multiple states have gathered to support the family of a local fallen hero.

Nearly three months ago, Sergeant Gale Stauffer and Officer Joseph Maher were responding to a bank robbery call, when the robbery suspect opened fire on the two officers.

Stuaffer died from his injuries, leaving behind a wife and two small children.

Now, the community continues to support the family, as they are banding together to give his widow, Beth Stauffer, and her children a newly renovated home.

Volunteers from across the country have come for 16 days to aid in the renovation.

Project organizers say the show of support on the project’s kick-off day has been incredible, and Stauffer says seeing the completed home will be bittersweet.

“We just had an outpour of local volunteers and from all over the country just come in and God is definitely with us,” Chiles said.

“Once they started doing demo and I was walking around the house and watching everybody, it just became so overwhelming because we are all the family of God but to really see it, I was supposed to leave because I had somewhere to go and I just cant leave, I’m like drawn.I feel like it would be wrong for me to leave and it’s just something I have never experienced and will never experience again in my life,” Stauffer said.

Next Saturday will be a volunteer day at the house, open to the public.