Social media can be a great way for communities to come together and do good deeds. One man in California witnessed this when his Facebook post about his neighbor went viral. David Perez noticed his 75-year-old neighbor, Richard, climbing on the roof every weekend. Richard would stay up on the roof for a few hours before climbing down, and David realized he was trying to fix the shingles on his roof.
David worried about the elderly man trying to fix the roof all by himself, so he took to Facebook to try to find help. He described the situation and wrote, “I feel sorry for him but I have no roofing skills. I would like to see if anyone can donate their time to help him finish.” In just a few days, the post had been shared more than 1,400 times, and that Saturday, about 40 people arrived at Richard’s house to help him with the roof. Other people brought water, pizza, and snacks.
When Richard saw how many people were willing to help him with the roof, he was thrilled. He explained that he’d been working on the roof for three months to prepare for the upcoming El Niño storms. “I’m just astounded. I couldn’t believe it when this fella knocked on my door and said he wanted to help for free. What a gesture,” he said.
It only took four hours to finish the roof with all the help, and the volunteers took a picture on the roof with Richard once the project was completed. This act of kindness from a group of neighbors made a big impact, and it shows the importance of keeping your eyes open for neighbors in need.