SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KFSM) — From inside the walls to inside the refrigerator, roaches invaded a Springdale home.
Owner of Natural State Pest Control Trent Ragar says they received a call from homeowner Paula Stephenson saying she had an insect issue, but it was much worse than they could've imagined.
"We just try to build a culture of giving back," Rager said. "You know we've gotten a lot of business in Northwest Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas has been really good to us, so whenever we find situations where we can give back and we can help, we always jump right in."
Ragar says he looked for resources Stephenson and found May Minton who runs the free website NWA Senior Resources.
Together, along with volunteers, they cleaned up the house.
"I've worked with seniors a long time and people always want to be safe and at home. You want to stay in your home as long as you can and so it means a great deal to me that she can have peace of mind and be able to stay in her home and be healthy," Minton said.
Ragar says after cleaning up, they sent out their best technician.
"He was out here every three or four days working on getting rid of the roach issue," Rager said. "Normally, that's something that can take three to six months. We were able to pretty much knock it out in 30 days, just by lots of effort and making sure that we were hitting every area that we needed to hit."
The cleanup process began in September and once they got the bug problem under control, volunteers repainted the walls, put in new carpet and gave Stephenson a safe place to come home to after being in the hospital and a rehab center recovering.
"I am so grateful," Stephenson said. "Words can never ever describe how grateful and appreciative I am for all they have done for me. I have never would've been able to accomplish all this on my own."
They say there were a lot of other people who volunteered their time to help Stephenson get back into her home.
Other than the new carpet, people have also donated household essentials and a refrigerator.