SAN DIEGO — The family of a San Diego Police Department officer who died while on duty earlier this year will be getting their mortgage paid off thanks to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

In February, Officer David Sisto died while doing a welfare check in the Carmel Mountain neighborhood. He had served with the SDPD for over a decade.

Sisto's family is among the eight California families of fallen first responders who were selected to have their mortgages paid in full.

"This year, we saw the country come together to support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and its mission," Tunnel to Towers chairman and CEO Frank Siller said in a statement. "We saw people from all walks of life join us on this quest to support our nation's first responders and military families, those heroes — who are willing to lay down their lives for you or me — every single day."

In 2021, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will be delivering 65 mortgage payoffs between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. So far this year, it has paid off 135 mortgages across the country.

This story was originally published by Claudia Amezcua on Scripps station KGTV in San Diego.