No Roof Left Behind: Supporting a Local Family

What does having a safe roof mean to you?

For many, a roof is simply another part of your home or apartment. It’s there to protect us from bad weather. It’s there to keep us dry and to keep us safe. But most of the time it seems, it’s just… there.

For one Temple, PA woman, however, a fully protected roof is a luxury she can’t currently afford while caring for her disabled spouse, and making ends meet with a growing pile of healthcare bills.

For a West Lawn, PA family, a new roof would a much-welcomed gift after layoffs, a house fire and burglary.

A disabled woman living in Boyertown, PA believes a safe roof is key to preserving the home she’s lived in since childhood.

And a safe roof would be a huge relief for one Reading, PA woman who is taking care of her mother and 3 struggling family members, all while undergoing her own treatment for liver cancer.

A safe roof is a gift for all of us, and it means something different for all of us. For Kerwin Mast and his team at Mast Roofing & Construction, Inc., a safe roof was a gift they could actually give and install.

At the end of this month, September 2013, they’re going to start installation for one of the individuals or families described above. A great gift indeed.

Mast Roofing & Construction, Inc. –an Oley Township, PA-based residential roofing contractor — is participating in a nationwide program called “No Roof Left Behind,” which was established with the mission of giving community members an opportunity to help their neighbors who have fallen on hard times.

Here’s how the program works:

• Community members can nominate themselves or others in need of a roof. The nominees must own and reside in their home, and be current on their mortgage.
• Volunteers review the nominees and select 4 finalists.
• The finalists have an opportunity to tell their story over the course of one month.
• Friends, family and community members can vote for a finalist on the NRLB website.
• Finally, 1 finalist emerges as a recipient of the new roof.

While one home ultimately receives a new roof, I think the project is a great way to rally many communities here in Berks County, PA and around the country. It’s a way to bring awareness to the real challenges that people face during these continued tough economic times. And companies like Mast Roofing & Construction, Inc. and its supporters are giving so much of their time, materials and labor to make a difference for a family in a unique way, one shingle at a time.

I took some time to talk with Kerwin Mast, who is the company owner.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long while,” Kerwin said. “We see this project as a way to give back to the community, to help someone in need.”

Over 2,000 votes have been submitted to the No Roof Left Behind website for Berks County thus far. Voting ends today, Sept. 6, and the winner will be revealed on Sept. 9.

“Everyone is deserving, and we want to help someone out more than anything,” Kerwin told me. “We felt it was up to the public to pick the family to support. We’re excited to help.”

Stay posted on our blog for details on the installation and the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new roof. We love community construction projects like this here at Specialty, too. We helped contribute gutter to the Extreme Makeover build that came to our area in 2010. And it’s our pleasure to help contribute awareness and support for the No Roof Left Behind project as well.