While visiting Cali, Columbia, in 2010, Chuck Anania was struck by the appalling conditions and severe poverty. He witnessed countless children, seniors and families experiencing a poor quality of life, as well as numerous health and safety issues caused by leaky and collapsing roofs.

“I noticed every time it rained,” he explains. “Literally, it would rain inside.”

The experience prompted the New Jersey native to ask himself, “Can I do something?” And, indeed, he could.

Inspired to help, Anania, who had already been a contractor for more than two decades, founded Roof4Roof. The for-profit, for-progress company uses proceeds from paid projects to provide free roofing for those in need. Since its inception, this “one-for-one” business model has helped more than 700 families in the U.S., as well as Columbia, Guatemala and the Philippines.

“You don’t have to go far,” says Anania, who wears a shirt bearing the title of Chief Roof Giver. “Every day, I drive around here at home and we see people in need. Obviously, we can’t solve all the world’s issues, but roofing is what we know how to do.”

One of the company’s most recent projects was replacing part of Garden State resident Gwendolyn Bernat’s roof in early July. Because of a bilateral breast cancer diagnosis five years ago and then a near-fatal episode of sepsis, the 56-year-old mother of three and former social services caseworker is battling serious physical and financial hardships.

After a Saturday rainstorm soaked her mudroom, flooding her washer and dryer, Bernat was shocked and excited when Anania called her the following Monday morning to tell her he was on his way to fix her roof.

Also during the summer, he returned to where it all started, installing 27 new roofs and making three emergency repairs in Cali, where Roof4Roof has now helped more than 200 families.

“After eight long years of dedicating much of our company’s time and resources to help the families of Cali, Colombia, we have such a great sense of satisfaction in knowing how many lives we have affected,” he said in an Oct. 10 article in the Rutherford Daily Voice.

Anania points out that he does not inflate his prices to fund his philanthropic work. Instead, he chooses to make less profit.

“At Roof4Roof, we’re doing the best we can to help in a way that we know will make a lasting difference,” he says. That effort is his bottom line.

Expanding Reach

To further the vision of every family having a safe, dry place to call home, Anania asked himself, “Can I do more?” And, again, he could. Last month, he announced the launch of Contractors4Change, a nonprofit that gives other contractors across the country and around the world the opportunity to provide emergency remodeling and community relief services to low-income residents and charitable/educational organizations.

The organization went to Puerto Rico in mid-November to help put roofs back over people’s heads after Hurricane Maria devastated the island on Sept. 20.

“Things happened in such rapid succession — first Texas and then Florida and then the earthquake in Mexico and then Puerto Rico,” Anania explained in an Oct. 10 article on NorthJersey.com. “We were going to go to Texas, but a lot of people sent resources there. They are part of the mainland, so it just seemed like there was more of a need in Puerto Rico.

To donate or get involved, visit the Contractors4Change website.

Roof4Roof works throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut, depending on Atlas for many of its roofing supplies.

“I use Atlas shingles because I believe in the company and its Lifetime Algae Resistance feature in conjunction with 3M,” he says. “It’s a great differentiator when talking to customers. I also believe the company and its culture is committed to excellence in all that they do. Our local rep, Kristopher Shinn, is outstanding and responsive.”

Shinn shares an equal appreciation for Anania.

“Chuck is not only a very compassionate person, but he is a master of his craft,” he says. “He makes sure that quality is never sacrificed.

“It’s truly inspiring to hear the great service Roof4Roof is doing in communities around the globe.”

For information on Atlas products, visit the Atlas Roofing website.