Today, roof manufacturer and a Standard Industries company, GAF announced a partnership with actor Anthony Mackie to assist rebuild communities repeatedly hit by natural disasters and left vulnerable to future crises, starting with town of Recent Orleans. 

“Growing up, I spent summers working on roofs with my family, so I know the way necessary this work is to keeping families secure and constructing stronger communities,” Mackie tells ESSENCE. “Everyone deserves a roof over their head, and I’m proud to be working with GAF to present back to my hometown and ensure we withstand the following storm.”

Working on roofs along with his father in Recent Orleans, helped Mackie understand the importance of community service. It’s a personality trait the 43 12 months old hopes to pass right down to the following generation – specifically his own children. “Community service means rather a lot. I learned community service from my dad, and I missed many Saturdays because I needed to go up on anyone’s roof and fix it because they’d a leak,” he recalls. “I need my boys to see that from me in order that they learn the importance of community service and what it means to be fortunate and are available across the less fortunate and what you may do to assist them.”

This collaboration is an element of GAF’s commitment to take a position $25 million through 2025 to assist construct greater resilience around families, shelter and workforce so communities feel more prepared to answer extreme weather events. The corporate may also train members of the community in essential roofing skills and supply resources to non-profit partners, including Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity, Team Rubicon, Good360 and SBP, to employ these individuals to support these rebuilding efforts.

In response to FEMA, over 10,000 families remain displaced and unable to return home following last 12 months’s Hurricane Ida. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, greater than 25% of homes are still vacant in Recent Orleans’ seventh Ward. GAF is committing to repairing or replacing 500 roofs throughout the Gulf Region, starting with 150 roofs within the seventh Ward.

For several years now, Mackie has had an energetic filming schedule along with acting on and off-Broadway. Nevertheless, he prioritizes uplifting his community, in addition to doing what he can to assist the less fortunate. Balancing work, his family, and repair is something that isn’t a difficulty for the Recent Orleans native. “You make time – that’s the fun part. My schedule is at all times full, but the very best part about it’s you schedule in time for those things which are fulfilling,” he says.

“It’s very rewarding for me. I live within the seventh Ward now so lots of the those that we help either know me, my siblings, or one in all my parents,” Mackie continues. “It’s very rewarding to return and help the those that I literally grew up with. It’s great while you not only can assist your community, but you too can help your neighbors. So with GAF coming in with the Community Matters initiative gave me the chance to try this.”