The Central Illinois family selected to receive a new home through an ABC television show deserves the honor.

And, yes, Philo - the home of Nathan and Jenny Montgomery and their four children - is in Central Illinois.

The location is much closer to Champaign than Bloomington-Normal, which disappointed many in this area who were caught up in the prospect of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" coming to this area.

However, it is exciting to have Bloomington-based builders involved in the project, which will be coordinated by Brady Homes.

The Montgomery family certainly lives up to the show's description of "Heroes at Home." Nathan Montgomery was working as an engineer and doing volunteer work when he decided to devote himself to charity work full-time, founding Salt & Light Ministries.

The non-denominational ministry not only operates a food bank, it also offers financial counseling and a financial education course, along with making clothing, school supplies and Christmas gifts available.

Meanwhile, Nathan's wife, Jenny, works as an aide in a middle school classroom with special needs students.

Running a charitable ministry in a small town and working as an aide with special needs students are not lucrative positions. The Montgomery family home had become run down and in need of extensive work.

They will get a new home - built in a week - through their selection by "Extreme Makeover" and the donations of businesses and volunteers. It is fitting that a family that has devoted their lives to helping others will be receiving help in return.

To those who have said in online comments and elsewhere that Nathan Montgomery made a "bad choice" by leaving a better-paying job to go into charity work, we say: Be thankful there are so many people out there making such "bad" choices. They make this world a better place with their sacrifices.

We hope that many of those who volunteered for the project before knowing the exact location will be able to follow through, even though the extra drive could be a burden for some.

Having a centralized meeting place in Bloomington-Normal where interested people could meet to carpool would be one way to ease that burden.

If you can't take the time to travel to Philo, there are ways to help closer to home. You can make donations to the project and Salt & Light or to local food pantries. More information is available at www.extremebradyhomes.com. You can also donate blood at one of the American Red Cross drives. More information is at www.givebloodgivelife.org.

Make this a time of celebration and following the spirit of the Montgomery family by helping others in need.