When a grandmother in Pennsylvania attempted to have her roof fixed earlier this year, the roofing contractor simply took the money and ran. But Philadelphia police officers and the right roofing contractor made sure she would stay dry this winter.
Penn Live Patriot News reports that Hatixhe Haliti, a 70-year-old resident of Port Richmond, paid a roofer $500 to fix her sunken, leaking roof. A police report filed by Haliti in October indicates the roofer never showed up to complete the work.
Following the filing of the police report, officers couldn't stop thinking about Haliti's plight. Community Officer Cynthia Pauda and her partner, Officer Ryan Barksdale, sought out a way to help Haliti. ABC-affiliated WPVI states the two asked around to find a roofing contractor for the job, and they landed on Clarence E. Smith Roofing. The roofing company fixed Haliti's roof on Monday for free as a gift.
“This could be my mother, this could be my grandmother, and to have her suffering like this, we decided we’ll come out and we’ll just solve the problem for her,” Earl Smith, owner of Clarence E. Smith Roofing, told WPVI.
The police officers said helping out was rewarding for them, and hope the gesture helps show that many who wear the uniform have big hearts.