The Ultimate Veterans Day Gift

By Alec Doniger. 

On an especially significant day for him, a grateful veteran receives a free new roof. 

Kenneth Snead, Sr., a 62-year-old Army veteran, had recently purchased a Philadelphia house that was perfect for him. He liked the quieter atmosphere of Tarentum, and the house had a lot of character. There was only one problem – the roof. This property, on West 8th Avenue, had been sitting dormant for nine years. When Kenneth bought the house, he knew the roof was going to need some work. He just didn’t know how much.  

He resolved to reach out to Purple Heart Homes, a non-profit that helps veterans with their housing needs. They have completed over 1,000 projects, according to their website. Thankfully, Kenneth was selected to receive a free roof, saving him what would have been $15,000 had he not secured assistance.  

Purple Heart Homes regularly partners with the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, an operation dedicated to donating free roofs to veterans in need. Kenneth’s new roof was one of these donations. There have been over 360 roofs gifted to veterans through the program since its inception in 2016. Because of Owens Corning, many families have been rescued from unsafe living conditions inside their own homes.  

It was only appropriate that his roof was installed on Veterans Day this year. Kenneth served in the 101st U.S. Army Airborne Division throughout the 1980s. The new roof was one the biggest acts of gratitude that Kenneth had ever received.  

His mother had always told him that believing is half the battle. He took her words to heart and felt confident that help would find his way to him. “I am so grateful, but I just knew it was going to happen,” Kenneth told TRIB Live.  “I believed.” 

What Kenneth hopes people take away from his story is that help is out there. “I want them to know there are resources,” he said. “A lot of pieces had to fall into place for this. It took perseverance, and there is help for them, too.”

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About Alec:  

Alec is a reporter for RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop, and AskaRoofer. When he isn’t investigating the state of the roofing industry, you might find him playing drums with his bands in Denver.  

Photo credit: TRIB Live