Pocatello, ID, Letter Carrier Brett Hochhalter regularly passes homes in need of repair on his route. At least once a year, he does something about it.
Hochhalter, who owns a contracting business on the side, donates at least one free roof a year to homeowners who need them.
The company’s employees do the work with help from volunteers, and each roof costs Hochhalter between $3,500 and $4,000, the Idaho State Journal reported last week.
“I’ve been given a little bit more than other people,” Hochhalter told the newspaper. “When you have more than you need, you are not taking it with you when you go.”
Hochhalter works with the local housing authority and a charity to identify the recipients. An independent third party verifies each home’s needs, he said.
This year, with help from a power company and others, Hochhalter donated three roofs instead of one.
“You get a lot of joy from people,” he said. “It’s really rewarding in that sense.”