Not only do roofing contractors put roofs over people’s heads, many also dedicate extra time to helping those in need. Volunteering and community service creates goodwill and helps to establish a business within a community— although that’s not why these good-deed-doers put in their efforts.

Here are some roofing companies that go out of their way to take care of their neighbors, as well as others around the world.

Sunset Kares Installs Roofing Shingles, Gives Back To The Community

For the past five years, Sunset Ridge Exteriors co-owner Michael Richichi and his team have sponsored Sunset Kares (Keep Area Roofs/Windows Efficient and Sustainable), which helps to provide families in Southern Wisconsin with new, energy-efficient roofs and windows.

Richichi says the practice of philanthropy is a company philosophy and that any of its employees can step forward to nominate a family for help.

Of the more than 15 families Sunset Kares has helped so far, Richichi recalls two especially memorable ones. The first involved a family with twin sons that discovered during a high school physical that one of the boys had cancer. Because they had little to no health insurance and a leaking roof, Sunset Kares stepped in and installed an entirely new roof. In another case, an elderly man had significant mold on the windows of his home, causing him considerable health issues. Paying for the medication he needed was already a struggle for the man and his wife, so Sunset Kares volunteered to put new windows throughout the couple’s house.

“We work in this community and feel that giving back is our duty,” says Richichi. “If, as a company, we see a need, we want to step in and fill it. If every contractor stepped in and provided help for one individual, the community would be a better place.”

In addition to creating goodwill through its philanthropic projects, Sunset receives increased brand awareness in the Southern Wisconsin community.

“It always helps when potential customers see us as a ‘feel-good’ piece on the local news,” Richichi says. “We’ve had customers choose us because of the work we do in the community.”

Roof4Roof Provides Free Roofing Materials To People In Poverty-Stricken Areas

Since 2010, roofing contractor Chuck Anania has been providing free roofing materials and installation to people in poverty-stricken areas of the world, as well as those at home in New Jersey.

He came up with what he calls a one-for-one business model: His company, Roof4Roof, uses profits from customer-paid projects to cover the costs of donating new shingle roofs.

Over the last seven years, he’s been able to help more than 700 families in the U.S., Colombia, Guatemala and the Philippines.

“We’re all part of the human race, regardless of national barriers,” Anania says. “After my trip to Colombia about 10 years ago, I made a personal decision that the rest of my life would be used to help relieve the suffering of others.”

Anania remembers a transient family with four children that he helped on a trip a few years ago. "The parents couldn't stop weeping about how important the new roof we gave them was to them and their children," he explains. "The mother even gave me a gift of a painting she made, and it's displayed in my living room to this day."

Not only does Anania practice philanthropy through his company, he founded Contractors4Change, a nonprofit organization that invites other roofers to help those in need. He also sits on the board of the Gregory M. Hirsch Heart Foundation, which is dedicated to the prevention of sudden cardiac death through early detection.

His good deeds are good for his bottom line too. Roof4Roof’s philanthropy helps business, he says, because people know they can trust a company that has been doing charity work for nearly a decade and has partnered with nationally recognized organizations.

“Many customers like the fact that they’re getting a good product and service while helping someone else in need at no extra cost to them,” Anania says. “At our company, we have a motto that we all need to make a living, but we also want to make a difference.”

My Town Miracles Helps Those In Need

Noel Fenderson and his three co-owners at My Town Roofing in Memphis, TN, followed the Business as Mission model to start their nonprofit, My Town Miracles. In just its first year, the organization has helped 13 families in need.

"We believe that we have a responsibility to glorify God by using every talent, gift, and resource to better the lives of our employees, customers and community," Fenderson says. “We strive to improve their quality of life and create generational change.”

One of the first people My Town Miracles helped was an 18-year-old North Memphis native named Kaylin. Though she grew up without many of the basic necessities — such as consistent housing, electricity, a bed to sleep in and reliable transportation —Kaylin maintained a beautiful, joyful spirit, Fenderson says.

Thanks to the love and encouragement she received from Memphis Athletic Ministries, as well as a car, living arrangements and tuition assistance from My Town Miracles, Kaylin is preparing to start school at the University of Memphis and continues to inspire others to keep pushing toward their goals and dreams.

Fenderson says the best part of helping is being able to pull their customers and employees into the miracles.

“If a customer knows they’re part of something special by using us, and if our employees know they’re working for a bigger purpose as well, then it’s a huge blessing for everyone involved.”

Throughout the year, My Town also supports numerous other nonprofit organizations, including Toys for Tots, the St. Jude Marathon, Junior Achievement, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

“We always want to encourage others to make a difference where they live,” Fenderson says. “If all business owners came together and lived on mission, together we could all make an impact!”

#Blessed

From home repairs and improvements to financial obligations and more, roofing contractors are helping families in their back yards and abroad through some of the toughest moments of their lives. And while these gestures may be second nature to contractors, they mean the world to the people being helped.