"I was very lonely. I was really very lonely," Bondarchuck said."I was living at the time with my abusive alcoholic father, and one night it got out of control."
That was his rock bottom, so he escaped from the household and became homeless.
Bondarchuck slept at a youth homeless shelter at night and went to the Denver Public Library by day.
"I would come to the library every day, with nowhere else to go, and I would read cookbooks like Martha Stewart," he said.
Bondarchuck's childhood friend Peter Jones hadn't seen his friend in a while. One day, he drove around looking for him and someone told Jones that Bondarchuck was staying at the homeless shelter in Denver.
Jones spoke with his parents and they agreed to take Bondarchuck in.
"Was able to get him moved in with us, and my mom and dad said, 'We'd love for you to stay here, we'd love for you to get your life back on track,'" Jones said.
They provided discipline to Bondarchuck and told him he'd have to go to school and get a job.
"They didn't give me a handout, but a hand-up," Bondarchuck said.
Thanks to the family's help, library days became school days. Bondarchuck would get his high school diploma, and after a year with the family, his life would be changed forever.
Fast forward more than a decade, and Bondarchuck - who had since started a catering business called Scratch Catering Services - was standing next to Martha Stewart on the set of her show. A smile was plastered to his face as he gushed over how he used to read her books during those darkest of times.
Before the Martha Stewart appearance, Bondarchuck had been a decorator for the White House during the holidays. He had sent letter after letter requesting the honor - and this holiday season he was asked to volunteer his time.
Someone at the Martha Stewart show heard Bondarchuck's story and he was invited to be on the show.
Little did he know, First Lady Michelle Obama had even recorded a video message for Bondarchuck - a message that played during the Martha Stewart show taping.
"Hi David, I just want to thank you again for volunteering for us at the White House," Mrs. Obama said. "You should know that your time and talent helped to create a wonderful lifetime memory for tens of thousands of our visitors. But more than anything, I want to thank you for sharing your inspiring story."
After the message ended, Bondarchuck looked over to Martha Stewart.
"This is the best Christmas ever!" he said.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)