Retired Navy Veteran Enjoys Free Roof

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor. 

Jacksonville, Florida American Legion Post 137 coordinated the efforts to get a new roof for the 87-year-old veteran.  

Alton Cook’s roof was leaking so badly that he had buckets strategically positioned throughout his home to capture the rainwater. Neighbor Sher Arbogast told News4Jax, “He was dumping out buckets. An 87-year-old man does not deserve to empty buckets.” 

Cook’s daughter-in-law Jeanie shared that they have been battling the leaks for several years. “We’ve had holes in the ceiling, tarps on the roof, trying to get everything done for a couple of years now.” 

Neighbor Sher and two fellow veterans who are all members of the American Legion Post 137 worked together to arrange for a new roof for Alton. Rita Robbs from the Legion told News4Jax she put a plea on social media to help stop the leaks. “I had a couple of tarps in the garage. I thought maybe we would just try to get the leaking to stop. I put a Facebook notice out, nine people showed up. It was amazing.” 

Rita said that was just a temporary fix and they knew they needed to permanently repair his roof. She contacted their local Home Depot who agreed to help. “They covered all the OSB boards. They covered all the shingles. They covered all the felt paper.” 

Next Rita called Golden Hammer Roofing, a local veteran-owned business. Owner Dania Fadeley said they would be happy to help telling News4Jax, “Our mission statement is to give back to the communities in which we work and live. And we are very happy to be able to do that.” 

Do you know of someone in the industry who is ‘doing good deeds’ in their community? Help us catch them at it. Send news and information to info@rooferscoffeeshop.com.