La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries celebrated both the upcoming Memorial Day and their grand reopening by donating furniture to the affordable veterans’ housing project on Route 6.

La-Z-Boy owners Peter Kavanaugh and Cathy Mayall celebrated the Faunce Corner Road location's grand reopening by donating nine La-Z-Boy recliners to furnish the O’Connor-Sisson House and $3,000 to the Veterans Transition House in New Bedford. Nearly 30 veterans and members of the South Coast community gathered at for the event.

"[Veterans] give so much to this country and have for generations," Mayall said.

The O’Connor-Sisson House, which is currently under construction, will be used for low-income veterans’ housing, complete with nine housing units, a community center, and an office for supportive services. Each room in the building costs $5,000 to furnish.

The tenants of the house will pay 30 percent of their income toward rent and the rest will come from the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. The first round of occupants will be selected through a lottery system.

Vietnam War veteran John Remedis of Freetown appreciated the La-Z-Boy family’s generosity and the number of people who showed support. He hopes that actions like this will ensure that no other veterans are treated the way that Vietnam veterans were upon their homecoming.

"For most of us... fighting in a war was one thing, but coming home war worse," Remedis said.

Maria Connor, president of The Friends of the Elderly, was present at the event to show her support for the O’Connor-Sisson House and the veteran community. The Friends of the Elderly first answered the Dartmouth Housing Authority’s call for financial donations to furnish the veterans’ house.

"Our hope is that people in the community each pitch in to furnish the house," Connor said.

As someone from a family of many veterans, the cause is very dear to Connor, she said. She added that La-Z-Boy has been a great supporter of veterans, as well as the Friends of the Elderly.

"It's important that [the veterans] are comfortable, and [don't] have to worry."

Several veterans were present for the event: World War II veterans Calvin Siegal and Allen Fuller, Korean War veteran Rolland Gendren, Vietnam War veteran John Remedis, Operation Desert Storm veteran William Rogers, who also deployed during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Iraq War veteran Christopher Gomes, and War in Afghanistan veteran Kathleen Walker.

Partners in Housing Inc., the nonprofit overseeing financial donations for the project, is a 501(c)3, meaning donations are tax deductible. Donations can be mailed to Partners in Housing Inc., 2 Anderson Way, North Dartmouth, MA 02747.