Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal including turkey and all the yummy fixings. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the U.S. on the fourth Thursday in November.

For many, the day means having not to go to work, watching football and pigging out. But for one local business, Thanksgiving is more than just feeding the appetites of our stomachs and eyes. It’s applying the last part of the word, Thanksgiving.

Giving.

Becker Roofing, established in 2019, has been annually donating full Thanksgiving meals to five to 10 needy families in the area.

“We started this tradition in 2019 with our Fairmont Roofing branch and have grown it since,” said COO/ Integrator Jessica Lemperes. “Becker Roofing has officially been in business since 2019. I say officially because our team has been in the roofing industry for a combined 30+ years and before we decided to open our branch in Becker, we did work in the area as our sister company, Fairmont Roofing.”

The businesses are owned by Marcus Eytcheson and his wife, Alisa.

“Marcus and I have similar upbringings,” said Lemperes. “Growing up in households that didn’t have a lot has inspired us to work hard and give back when and where we can. I believe living open handed is one of the greatest gifts you can give people and when you see needs that you can meet, it should be considered a privilege and an honor to do so.”

Becker Roofing and its family of employees provide families in need with a complete Thanksgiving dinner, from the turkey to the mashed potatoes to the pie. They opened a nomination link (since expired) for people to nominate those neighbors, families and individuals that they know of that would benefit from such a meal.

“We know that inflation is hitting some families harder so than others,” said Lemperes. “We also know that there are so many families facing health struggles, or personal and life changing challenges. We truly hope that their friends and neighbors take a moment to nominate them (period is expired) for this meal.”

On Monday of this week, The Becker Roofing family delivered the meals to the needy families so the turkeys could thaw in time for Thanksgiving Day.

Jessica’s husband, Ben Lemperes, is a sales professional/estimator and project manager at the Becker location. Their daughter, Emma (18), helps in the office during the summer when she is home from school,  and their son, Oscar (14), is often seen around job sites helping clean up and taking inventory. 

“He loves keeping track of the materials and entering them into our spreadsheets,” said Jessica of son, Oscar. “He has also learned the art of carrying bundles of shingles safely.

Their oldest child, Aiden (21), is usually put to work when he comes home to visit, says Jessica. 

“He has been a runner for us, running materials to job sites and just filling the gaps as needed.”

Becker Roofing has 11 employees that work at the Becker branch and 25 employees across their sister companies. They also have dedicated subcontractors that have become an important part of their team and have been working with them for years. 

Becker Roofing doesn’t stop the fun at Thanksgiving. They open nominations for a family to “adopt” for Christmas the week following Thanksgiving. 

“Same idea,” said Jessica. “Neighbors thinking of neighbors.  We then purchase gifts, gift cards, clothing, toys and more for a family at Christmas and deliver the gifts a few days prior to Christmas.”

The company especially hopes the nominations include families that have children as their hearts go out to the kids that may not be waking up on Christmas morning to anything under the Christmas tree.

“Something as simple as feeling thought of and being blessed with a meal they can share with those close to them can change the trajectory of this holiday season for those who just need a little encouragement,” said Lemperes.  “That is our goal at Becker Roofing and if we can bring a smile to a face, we have done our job.”

Becker roofing can be reached at: 763-220-9550 or at their website: beckerroofing.com.