Local construction company gifts a free, new roof to a local family in need

By Emma Peterson. 

Rainwater buckets inside of your house is a cry for a new roof, but for the Gray family, that just wasn’t in the cards financially. That is until Saints Roofing and Construction stepped in.  

This past July, Saints Roofing Construction sat down and wondered how they could help their Ohio County, West Virginia community. They ended up doing what they do best — roofs! Barry Hicks, owner of the company, points out that a leaky roof shouldn’t be ignored. Barry shared, “It’s part of the foundation of the home. If the top ain’t dry, it doesn’t secure anything else on the inside, it’s extremely important.” But they know that the reality of a roof costing thousands of dollars, and with inflation making everything from materials to transportation more expensive, that too many people are having to try and ignore their leaky roof.  

So, they teamed up with their supplier, GAF, and set up a giveaway for local families with the prize of a new roof, free of cost. Barry said their goal was to give a roof to “the person who is praying in the middle of the night, dreading the forecast.” They were heartbroken by how many entries they got, but one entry stood out: Karen and Mark Gray’s.  

The Grays have been married for 30 years and have made it through highs and lows together. Karen has had a series of medical problems throughout her life, which includes surviving cancer three times, leaving her fully disabled. Barry said that their situation “was screaming, ‘this is the one! This is the one!’” Members of their community were eager to help nominate them, too. The community truly came together for Karen and Mark, with five people nominating them for the giveaway.  

Karen couldn’t believe what her community and Saints Roofing Construction were doing, saying, “It’s a total blessing. It’s a miracle almost. I didn’t know what we were going to do with winter coming. We have buckets everywhere, we have leaks, we have plastic up. It’s a gift from God.” The Grays have been struggling with their leaking roof for over a year. They couldn’t leave their over 100-year-old home without worrying. Their roof hadn’t been fixed in 40 years because they couldn’t afford the $20,000 or more dollars needed to fix it.  

Barry noted “It’s pretty bad. It has several layers of roofing on there now, as well and also multiple leaks. You can also see the curling and it’s way past its life.” But thanks to Saints Roofing Construction, Karen and Mark no longer have to live among buckets of water and stress. Instead, they will spend the winter safely under a new roof.  

Photo Source: WTOV9 Fox