Nobody from G. Fedale Roofing and Siding woke up one day and thought the company should give away free roofs. But the thought of helping one person grew into a charity and now a new non-profit.
The company, headquartered in Wilmington but with offices in Pennsylvania, including Glen Mills, has a program called Roofs from the Heart and gives away a free roof to someone in need.
According to company founder Glenn Fedale, the idea came about pretty much by accident when one of his sons went to a home to check out a roof that was leaking into the bedroom.
“[My son] was shocked by what he saw. He looked around the room and saw mold forming in the gentleman’s bedroom. The guy told my son, ‘I know this is really bad. I don’t know what to do. I can’t afford to get my roof fixed.’ And my son told him he couldn’t live in conditions like that.”
Fedale continued, adding that his son came back to the office saying they should do something. So, they wound up giving the man a new roof free of charge. And that was the genesis of Roofs from the Heart.
“We wanted to give back to the community that we served and thought it was a good idea to create a vehicle that we could provide free rooves for those individuals and families that were in situations where they got impacted by life or health that required,” the senior Fedale said.
They started the project as a Facebook campaign with friends and family nominating someone to be considered. Dozens of people would be nominated, and they gave away two or three roofs in some years.
Now, though, Fedale said, the project has become its own nonprofit and has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and Energize of Delaware, with the nominating and selection process going through Energize.
Fedale said he wants people to be aware of the program, especially if they know someone who’s in tough straights.
“If they have a heart for impacting the community they live in and they potentially know someone or an organization that has a similar mission but in a different venue, it would be helpful for them to reach out to me,” he said.
That’s beneficial for both the person who gets the roof and the company. According to Fedale, larger donors and donating organizations like seeing and are more inclined to donate when they see nonprofits working together.
Anyone interested in more information or donating money, applying for or nominating someone to get a free roof should either visit www.Roofsfromtheheart.org or contact Glenn Fedale at 302-287-0239.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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