Good Samaritans Save Struggling Single Mother's Home With Life-Changing Repairs

March 1, 2021

Good Samaritans have stepped up to save a struggling single mother in desperate need of home repairs.

Jane Cunningham

Jane Cunningham and her three children live in Sudbury, Massachusetts. But her home was in rough shape.

The entire roof was shot. There was mold everywhere and a big problem with the family room.

"We basically had to board that off and couldn't use it because a piece of the ceiling had fallen down and in with that came a giant squirrels' nest, nuts and all,” she told WBZ-TV.

Jane Cunningham's home

Jane knew she and her children weren't safe in the house, but she couldn't afford to fix it. She thought she was out of options, until her friend started a GoFundMe page.

"Friends have asked how we can help a single mom of 3 and long-time Sudbury resident who is in desperate need of a new roof and repair of extensive wood rot/resulting water damage," wrote Melinda Johnson. "She has been struggling with ongoing health issues in the family, and this would really take some of the stress away for all of them. Not only have they been dealing with water in the house, but also critters getting into the house too."

The fundraiser caught the attention of Sudbury resident Dave Fenton, who also happens to be the Chief Operating Officer of Suffolk Construction Boston.

“It kind of just moved me. So I dug into it a little more and figured out that we should be helping,” he told WBZ.

Using business contacts and trade partners, he found roofers but that's not all.

“I knew there was more to do so I reached out to some other folks and some interior people, some demolition folks that we work with so we got inside and took care of the mold issue, took care of the drywall, a little bit of the electrical work and kind of got the place secured up for the winter time,” Fenton said.

All the work was donated and they're not done yet. Fenton said they plan to return in the spring and fix the landscaping and paint the exterior.

“I'm just blown away by the kindness and it really just changes our whole outlook on life and it changes the trajectory of our life as well,” Jane said.