Located just south of Meridian near the Mississippi/Alabama state line, Clarkco State Park has been a favorite Mississippi recreation spot since it was founded in 1938. The park offers dozens of RV and tent sites as well as 21 cabins, many of them lakefront, for less rustically inclined vacationers.

The cabins are very popular. With some approaching 80 years old, however, they are experiencing a host of repair issues, particularly with the roofs. Until recently, one cabin in particular had a bad leakage problem.

“We were still using it, but we just hoped it wouldn’t rain while the guests were there. But it did, of course,” laughs Tony Fleming, the park’s manager.

Marsha Roberts, who is involved with a fundraising organization called Friends of Clarkco State Park, saw an opportunity to help when the local supplier ordered a load of roof shingles in the wrong color.

She went to her Atlas sales rep and asked for a cut price on the shingles. Atlas ended up coming through with a straight donation of the material — no payment required!

Products included:

• 130 squares of Pinnacle Pristine® in Pristine Desert
• 8 bundles of Pro-Cut® Starter shingles
• 12 bundles of Pro-Cut® Hip & Ridge shingles
• 13 rolls of Summit® 60 synthetic underlayment

Clarkco still had to pay a professional roofing contractor to put the shingles on, but the cost was about half what it would have been otherwise. “Having half of it paid for was definitely a big help,” Roberts says.

So far, Clarkco has only shingled one roof — the worst one. Three more projects are scheduled to begin in the coming months. With a total donation of 10 pallets, there should be enough eventually for about 10 cabins. The challenge is finding the money to pay the roofers, which Friends of Clarkco is doing through fundraisers such as 5K runs and bluegrass music festivals.

Fleming won’t have to worry about delivery costs — he’s got that covered. “Some local farmers went and got their trucks and picked up the shingles and brought them to Clarkco,” he explains. “It’s good to have friends.”

When asked how he’s getting everything done, Fleming just shrugs.

“Well, Atlas is a neighboring company right here close to us, and that worked out good. You gotta have some relationships with your local companies,” he says.

Being a good neighbor has definitely paid off for Clarkco State Park — and the park’s visitors will benefit for many decades to come.