Jacksonville, Fla. — Reliant Roofing recently announced that the three finalists selected for its first annual Every Shingle Heart giveaway will all receive new roofs. Their Every Shingle Heart initiative was created to give back to the community by providing a free roof to a local family in need. Once the nominations came in, the Jacksonville company realized they could not choose just one family. On Aug. 22, they invited all three finalists to the Reliant Roofing office and surprised them with the news.
Angela Billings, Toni Luther and Ruby McMullen all experienced roof damage from Hurricane Matthew. They were ecstatic to learn that they would be receiving brand new roofs. McMullen, who's on disability, often went without groceries so she could pay her bills on time. Though her home desperately needed a new roof after Matthew, it was out of reach for her. She’ll no longer have to worry.
Luther’s roof damage from Matthew was so severe that she was about to lose her home if it was not replaced. Her daughter Tina, a disabled Veteran, returned home to try to help. "There's mildew and mold because of the water. It's been leaking now since the storm," Velazquez said. "She really couldn't maintain it because of her health, and so it's been one thing after the other and I'm trying to pick up the pieces."
Billings, who recently underwent a double mastectomy and lost her fiancé, is grateful that she and her son will no longer have to worry about constant leaks damaging her home. "Every time it rains, we have some new leak. It's been difficult ever since Hurricane Mathew," she says. Now she has hope. She says, "Cancer and losing somebody you love, there's always someone who has it worse than you. I know it sounds terrible, but it's true. You look around and you think my life isn't so bad."
Reliant Roofing owners Sean Shapiro and Cameron Shouppe were touched by the stories of these local families. Shouppe says, "As soon as I saw their reaction I knew we found the right people. This was a major item causing stress and grief in their life and this was going to make a huge difference for them." The company looks forward to giving these three deserving families a fresh start.
For more information, visit www.reliantroofing.com/everyshingleheart.