October may be known for its Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating, but roofing contractors got into the spirit this month by donating something far better than candy to deserving families.
While the roofing industry gets a bad rap from roofing contractors who provide shoddy work and trick homeowners out of their hard-earned money, there are many more contractors like the ones below who are working to elevate the professionalism of the industry by providing free roofs to people in their communities.
Schultheis Bros. Expands Roof Giveaway to Three Finalists
In honor of its 75th anniversary, Schultheis Brothers in Pittsburgh held a free roof giveaway. After narrowing down the selection to three lucky finalists, the company couldn’t choose one winner and decided to provide all three with roofs.
According to Plum Advance Leader, President Katie Rullo came up with the idea in honor of her uncle Bill and her grandfather, Richard Schultheis, who began the roofing business after serving in the U.S. Navy. The roofing company posted the winners’ stories on its website, and thanked companies like ABC Supply and CertainTeed for their support.
“The community support for all the families and our company by celebrating this contest has been overwhelming. Thank you for making our 75th year the most memorable yet!” Schultheis Brothers said in a Facebook post.
Isaiah Industries, Howard & Sons Give Free Roof to Veteran
Sometimes it takes veterans to help a veteran, as was the case in Fallbrook, Calif., where Howard & Sons Inc. teamed up with Isaiah Industries to donate a roof to a Marine veteran.
The Village News reported that Ignacio Cesar Peinado, regional manager of Howard & Sons and a veteran, kicked off the “Roofs of Love” campaign with a tear-off of GySgt Ret. Ernesto Aquino's roof along with 15 other veterans on Oct. 16. The veterans were volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars California Motorcycle Club – San Diego Chapter.
Isaiah Industries launched the Roofs of Love campaign to provide free roofs for families in need. Families in California, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas will be selected to receive free roofs.
“While it impacts five households now, we plan to grow Roofs of Love into a nonprofit organization. We want to show God’s love by providing quality roofs for those in need on a larger scale,” said Todd Miller, president of Isaiah Industries.
GAF Partners with Habitat for Humanity for Homebuilding Blitz
During the week of Oct. 25, GAF partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Tuscaloosa to build an entire home from foundation to roof in just five days for the Smith family of West Tuscaloosa, Ala. As part of the build, GAF donated all of the roofing materials, including installation labor by nearly 75 volunteers through its GAF Tuscaloosa Plant and local community champions.
Constructing a new home from the ground up can typically take anywhere from six to 16 months, but with the help of GAF, Verna Smith and her granddaughter had a new home with a new GAF Timberline HDZ roof in a matter of days.
“Part of our role as leaders in the roofing industry is to help the communities where we live and work to thrive. That has become even more important over the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic and we are committed to working with our contractors and partners to continue to help improve people’s lives and build resilient communities,” said Jeff Terry, vice president of CSR and sustainability at GAF.
Owens Corning, Legacy Roofing Services Donate New Roof to Navy Veteran
As part of its ongoing Roof Deployment Project, Owens Corning teamed up with roofing contractor Legacy Roofing Services in Ohio to donate a roof to U.S. Navy veteran Dennis Payne.
In a story from Fox-affiliate WJW, Payne, 70, was in need of a new roof. Payne wasn’t sure he could afford to repair the leaky roof due to being on a fixed income. He told fellow veteran John Keating about his plight, not knowing Keating is president of the local Purple Heart Homes, an organization providing life solutions to veterans.
Keating shared Payne’s story with Owens Corning, which partners with Purple Heart Homes to find deserving veterans in need of a roof, and the company selected Payne as one of its Roof Deployment Project recipients. Owens Corning provided the materials while Legacy Roofing donated the labor to install the new roof.
“It makes it all worth it. It just melts my heart. It’s just a great thing to be able to give back to a veteran that’s served our country,” Legacy Roofing Vice President Dave Sipes told WJW.
