Three months and four reroofs

By Emma Peterson.

Learn about how these contractors have helped members of their communities stay safe.

With so much going on all the time, it can be hard to keep up with the small acts of kindness and good happening around us. That’s one of the reasons The Coffee Shops™ likes to find contractors “Caught Doing Good.” These articles highlight the generosity of our industry in everything from free roofs to food drives and fundraisers. In the last few months, we heard some heartwarming stories that we wanted to share with you!

December 2024

At the end of last year, we heard about a story from Knoxville, Tennessee of a local company replacing homeowner Betty Blackburn’s roof free-of-charge. Aaron Brown, a production manager with the roofing company in question, Barnett Roofing, explained to MSN, “We showed up at about 6:30, and we just started. One of our employees, Mike, brought a dumpster by, and we took all the shingles off the roof and loaded up a trailer. We did have to put all new LSB up on her roof because the roof she had was in pretty bad shape.” That bad shape, which included delaminating wood, was because the old roof was not installed correctly over a decade ago.

That same month, Rocky Mountain Roofing across the country in New Mexico was also donating a roof to a community member in need. December was a hard month for Irene Maestas who lost her beloved husband at the beginning of the month. On top of that, she also received notice from the insurance company that they would not cover her home if she didn’t replace her roof. Irene didn’t know what to do.  

That’s when Rocky Mountain Roofing stepped in. Shiloh Alvarado, the operations manager at Rocky Mountain Roofing, said that when they heard Irene’s story, he and his team knew exactly what they needed to do. He explained to KOB4, “When you get the call to do something like that, you have to step up. We wanted to show her that she’s not alone by coming and putting this roof on.” Irene was beyond thankful, sharing, “They were my angels that came to my call. That’s how I really feel... I was a crying mess. I’ve had a few angels that have come to my rescue during all this.”

January 2025

The new year kicked off strong with a story from Louisiana. The story comes from News Ten, who annually partners with local roofing company Garcia Roofing for the “Santa Did My Roof” contest. The contest gifts a local family a new roof every year, with Bryan and Sarah Beard winning this last year. Bryan and Sarah have been married for over 40 years and have lived in their home for the last three decades with their son Donnie. Sarah shared a bit of the family’s story, saying, “He’s 35 years old. At four months old, he went into high fever, and that caused cerebral palsy.”

The tight-knit family has navigated the ups and downs of life together, but years of hurricanes were making it more difficult. Bryan explained, “There is nothing that we needed more than a roof. That was the number one priority for our little family here. If we could get a new roof, we’d be okay.” So, when they won the contest and Garcia Roofing came out and reroofed their home, it was a dream come true. Bryan put it best, “It was a blessing. That’s all we can say. It’s a blessing and we couldn’t be happier.”

February 2025

And most recently, we heard a story from Mechanic Falls, Maine about a veteran getting a brand-new roof thanks to the generosity of a local roofer. The story begins with CBS13 I-Team reporting on what happened to Tom Nile, a veteran, when he tried to hire someone to replace the roof on his barn. He explained briefly, “The contractor disappeared... and he won't answer his phone.”

When Daelyn Roderick, the owner of D&R Construction, heard Tom’s story, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He explained, “We saw that he was a veteran and he had an unfortunate situation with another contractor. That just looks bad on the good contractors and there really are more good contractors than bad. So we decided to step up and take on the job at no cost to him.” Within a mere few days Daelyn pulled together a team of local businesses (including Hammond Lumber and All That's Metal), secured the needed materials and replaced Tom’s leaking roof free of charge. Tom was surprised and incredibly thankful for how the community came together to support him. He shared, “I just can't believe it. I'm so grateful and thankful to not only them but to you and Channel 13 for helping me out.”

Original photo source: MSN (cover), WGME