Marine vet receives new roof from Habitat for Humanity program to replace leaking, rotted roof

BELLEVILLE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Marine veteran whose roof was leaking and had rotted wood received a new roof Monday in Belleville.

"Man, this is awesome. Couldn’t ask for a better Thanksgiving, really. It’s really a great thing!" Don Maurer said.

The Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project made this new roof installation possible.

For the past six years, roofing manufacturer, Owens Corning, has worked with Habitat for Humanity of Western Wayne County to help veterans. 

"They’re just so giving. Some roofing contractors are veterans themselves. Some of them aren’t. They just love our veterans so much they want to give back," said Margaret Kucharek, with Habitat for Humanity.

Related: New roof installed for free at Navy vet's home

Neighborhood Roofing contractors installed the roof.

 "I think you’ve got to give back. You’ve got to do your part. We’re big into that," said Tom Meadows, with the company.

The repair came just in time.

"It’s surprising they didn’t have any damage inside yet. I’d bet this winter, in the spring, he would have had when the snow melted, some pretty good size problems," Meadows said.

The Housing Assistance Council says more than 80% of Michigan veterans own homes. Nearly 83,000 of those veterans live in homes with one or more major repair problems.

Numbers aside, this project in Belleville wasn’t just a good deed for contractor tom meadows, but a moment to connect with one of our country’s heroes.

"Don’s a really nice guy. I got to meet him when I first came over," Meadows said. "Really grateful for all the help and stuff. Couldn’t do it for a nicer guy."

For more information on the Roof Deployment Project, or to learn more about how you can get involved, contact roofdeployment@owenscorning.com.

"If you’re a veteran, and you need some help with it, I would say look into it," Maurer said.