POCATELLO — A local veteran got an early Christmas present after community members nominated him to get a new roof.

Roof Rescue, a local roofing company, is hosting Operation Roof Rescue, where they replace one roof for free for every 100 roofs they install. The team chooses a home at random through nominations from the public.

Chief Operations Officer Kristi Hansen told EastIdahoNews.com Bernard Stinson and his wife, Cindy, were among the nominees.

“It really touched our hearts,” Hansen said. “He is a marine. He’s a senior. He donates his time as the assistant pastor … he’s just an all-around amazing guy.”

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Hansen said Bernard focuses on helping others in the community and assisting family members with limited incomes, despite his own health challenges.

Bernard has been on a transplant list for a kidney for the past three years. He says that he knows that God will help him get one soon.

“God gave me the best people, the best nurses, the best doctors to take care of me,” Bernard said.

When he was surprised with the news he was getting a new roof, he said God had them come at the right time.

Knowing that the roof would be a massive challenge, he was worried about saving money to replace it and the scope of the project itself.

“I just couldn’t see how that was going to happen,” Bernard said. “I didn’t see no way out. God touched their hearts to help us and take a load off of us; that is amazing.”

Hansen said that when they typically assist in repairing the roof, they replace the shingles. However, due to the state of Bernard’s roof, they’re replacing all of it.

“We’ll be taking off all the shingles, taking off all the wood, replacing all the plywood, and then putting the roof on top of that, and then redoing their gutters,” Hansen said.

The price for a repair like this would’ve cost between $30,000 and $35,000.

Another benefit Bernard and his wife will also enjoy, according to Hansen, is that their insurance costs will decrease due to the new roof.

Roof Rescue CEO Mark Franklin is bearing the cost of these projects in an effort to give back to the community.

“We are proud to provide Bernard and Cindy with a safe, new roof, and grateful for the opportunity to give back to these selfless members of our community,” Franklin says in a new release.

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