Veteran Gets New Roof, Solar Power System Through National Program

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran received a new roof Monday morning and will receive a solar power system Tuesday, thanks to the Roof Deployment Project — a national effort that’s touched the hearts of local residents.

John Concas, the 57-year-old veteran who served in Korea and Okinawa, has lived in his home on Foxwood Drive for two decades. He and his wife, Linda Concas, say they are incredibly grateful for the renovation.

“We’re overwhelmed by it,” said John Concas. “We didn’t know there were so many people out there who would give us anything.”

Concas is a member of the Long Island Cares’ VetsWork Workforce Development Program, a nonprofit that decided to help his family six months ago.

Long Island Cares has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, SUNation, Marcor Construction, and Owens Corning as part of the Roof Deployment Project. More than 130 military members across the nation have received new roof installments through the program since it developed in 2016.

“We were approached by SUNation,” Michael Haynes from Long Island Cares, said. “They asked us to identify a veteran who could benefit from this program, and through an extensive assessment process, we eventually landed on the Concas family.”

SUNation, one of the largest solar companies on Long Island, has installed solar power systems on five homes that belong to veterans and plans on helping two more by the end of this year.

“They will have free electricity hopefully for life,” Gina Carrara, vice president of Marketing at SUNation, said. “They are just a great family in need, and their roof worked really well for solar, and SUNation just wanted to help them.”

According to Gina Farese, the operations manager at Marcor Construction, the roof and solar system donation will save the Concas family $12,000.

For more information about the Roof Deployment Project, go to this website.