Roofer Bikes to Raise Money for Charity

In order to bring his message of repairing roofs for people in need – Chuck Anania took to the streets.

Anania rode his bicycle through the streets of Belleville and other North Jersey towns to bring support for Roof4Roof.

He rode through Verona, Montclair, Bloomfield and Belleville and ended his trek in Manhattan on Aug. 7

Anania said Roof4Roof is a grassroots project started in Montclair, "Our motto is simple: For every new roof we install,we provide emergency roofing services for families in need, free of charge.”

The one-for-one business model is the group's way of giving back to the communities in the tri-state area, as well as those less fortunate areas of oversees, such as Guatemala,  he said.

Anania was born in Bellevillle, resides in Bloomfield and his business is in Montclair.

He said as the bike trek went on, each night would bring a new reminder of the hundreds of miles he was biking each day.

"I'd be sitting, and suddenly my knees would just start to ache," Anania said with a laugh. "I would think, oh yeah, I biked 30 miles today."

He is happy that the days were more or less free of mishaps during the 500 or so miles he rode.

Riding through Belleville, people were honking their horns at him and they noticed the logo that was visible promoting the roof charity, especially at one point.

"I was riding from the point of Rita's Lemon Ice at the bottom of the hill on Belleville Avenue, and then I hit that monster of a hill, and every car honked and waved the whole way up," Anania said.

Giving back was something he said he always expected to do as his business success grew. Fans can follow Anania's journey and efforts through his Facebook page.