Shelter for Wildfire Victims Receives Help From Roofing Company After Major Storm

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

When the roof of a Grass Valley nonprofit shelter began to collapse, MEC Roofing sent them immediate help. 

H.O.P.E Outreach is a California nonprofit organization that helps residents who are recovering from disasters, such as the recent summer wildfires in California. One of the ways they help people is by providing victims of the fire with a roof over their heads. But with rainstorms plaguing the Grass Valley area, that roof is now collapsing. 

“I would never put anybody in here right now. What are we going to do?” H.O.P.E Outreach Founder Kristina Halkyard told CBS Sacramento. “I think all it would take is some help from people in the community.” 

With leaks to the shelter’s roof increasing and the potential for it to cave in looming, the organization has been calling on their community to provide help. H.O.P.E. Outreach contacted multiple contractors, but all of them were either fully booked or unable to visit their shelter.  

Within hours of sharing their story with CBS Sacramento, MEC Roofing stepped up to the plate and immediately took action. The roofing company provided the shelter with new tarps to help stop the water from getting in. 

“I’ve never been so excited to see people in all my life,” H.O.P.E. Secretary Misty Dufour told CBS Sacramento. “Had they not been here, the roof would have probably collapsed with this storm. It’s bad.” 

Even with the temporary fix of the tarps, the rainstorm still surged through late October. The wind and rain were so strong that they tore down the new tarps. Despite this, the nonprofit is still thankful for the help they were provided.  

Misty Dufour said that the help they received was “much better than nothing. We’re all just trying to take a deep breath and wait for this storm to pass. It’s not as bad as it was and we’re still in store for a big battle, but blessed, you know.” 

The damages from the storm could cost the organization up to $25,000. You can help by donating to their GoFundMe here. 

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About Evelyn

Evelyn works as a writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofing, she’s either at the gym lifting weights or curled up on the couch watching a movie. 

Photo credit: CBS Sacramento