Carleen Cook couldn’t afford a professional service to remove a raccoon infestation from her Joliet home.

But Cook knew she had “to do something” the night a raccoon put a paw through the wall above her mantle.

Cook shared her concerns with Harry Spence, who leads a support group she attended. Spence made a few phone calls, which connected him to D&K Pest Control and Wildlife Removal in Naperville.

Spence was happy to help. He said Cook cares for several family members in her home with health issues and “their money is tight,” since they rely on government assistance.

“And then she ended up with raccoons and had no way to get rid of them,” Spence said.

Margie Saldana, office manager for D&K Pest Control and Wildlife Removal, said the company trapped several raccoons and then patched areas inside and outside Cook’s home, where the raccoons had entered.

“We did some work for her pro bono, and she was very, very happy,” Saldana said. “We went out seven different times from Feb. 27 to March 15.”

Saldana said that Teitsort and Kilgore had just pledged to help one veteran and one person in need each month – and posted their intentions on social media – when they learned about Cook.

“The two owners – David Teitsort and Kyle Kilgore – they’re awesome,” Saldana said.

On Jan. 30, Teitsort had posted the company’s desire to help one veteran per month and families in need on Facebook, including “single moms or dads, widowed spouses, or anyone who may be down on their luck and unable to afford needed work,” according to Teitsort’s Facebook post.

“We will offer free minor exclusion and repair work to help keep rodents and wildlife out of homes and assist with small repairs that have been put off due to financial hardship,” Teitsort posted on Facebook.

Teitsort also said those making referrals must follow the D&K Pest Control and Wildlife Removal Facebook page and send referrals through the company’s Facebook Messenger.

Noises were first sign

Cook said the trouble started last fall when she heard noises on the roof because that meant the raccoons had returned.

“We heard those noises last winter and the year before that and the year before that,” she said. “It was getting pretty serious.”

She tried submitting a claim through her homeowner’s insurance and calling local animal control agencies. She could not get a claim, and animal control agencies told her they don’t trap raccoons.

Cook then called an animal removal service for an estimate for repairing the hole in her roof and trapping the raccoons.

“It was a lot of money,” Cook said. “Some of them were like $500.”

She was already struggling with plumbing issues, which is a persistent problem, a broken garage door and a tall wooden staircase leading up the hill to her front door that was never finished, with beams sticking up from the ground.

She is still applying for funding through different organizations to address these issues – with some organizations charging an application fee, she said.

So when the raccoon put his paw through the wall around 4 a.m. Feb. 4, Cook felt desperate and wound up telling the tale to her support group.

She said she couldn’t believe it when Spence gave her the number to D&K Pest Control and Wildlife Removal, that they were expecting her call.

“And so I called, and I talked to them. And they said they could come out,” Cook said. “They told me they would assess the situation. And they told me they would do this free of charge. I was like. ‘Really? Nothing is free in this world.’ But they had decided to help those in need a few days before I talked to them.”

Cook’s understanding is that she was the first one the company helped.

“They did a very good service,” Cook said. “And I really appreciate them.”