In the quaint Delta town of Lambert, Mississippi — just four miles south of Marks — a weathered home received a life-changing upgrade. After more than five years of roof leaks, missing shingles, and deteriorating wood beneath the surface, Pastor Robert Griffith and his wife, Lula, now rest under a new Fortified Roof built to withstand the region’s harshest storms.

“It is so comforting,” Pastor Griffith said. “It causes my wife not to be stressed out… We got so much joy now. Our joy increased, and it really adds to your life.”

This latest chapter in Lambert began through a chain of connections forged in nearby Marks. In 2025, the Community Infrastructure Team at Communities Unlimited (CU) began working with Big Field Water Association. Led by Training Project Manager Lorraine Magee, the team helped Big Field return to compliance by developing critical documents and procedures. That partnership planted the seed for something more.

During a lunch conversation, Dwight Barfield — Big Field’s Board President and the former mayor of Marks — asked Magee what other services CU offered. When she mentioned septic tanks, water wells, and roofing, Barfield immediately saw an opportunity for his neighbors.

He connected with CU’s Area Director of Rural Housing, Audra Butler, and the Fortified Roof Program soon followed. CU then linked local leaders and volunteers with a contractor — Chris Walker, owner of Nextgen Power Systems — and a funding source through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. Within months, Barfield and his wife, Loria, had helped secure 33 applications for roof replacements in Marks and surrounding communities, including Lambert.

That’s when Pastor Griffith’s name came up.

Another pastor in the area told him about the program and suggested he reach out to Barfield. Griffith did — and the process moved quickly from there.

Soon after, Chris Walker visited the home to assess the damage and prepare for the project. The work itself took about six days in late June 2025. The old roof, layered with years of patchwork and multiple sets of shingles, had to be stripped completely before the new structure could be installed.

“My house had a lot of angles,” Griffith said. “We had never replaced it — never. And whoever had it before just put shingles on top of shingles.”

The final result was a fortified, weather-resistant roof that not only protects the home from storms, but also brings peace of mind to the Griffiths, who recently celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary.

Lambert is a town of nearly 1,300 residents, and like many Delta communities, it has long faced economic hardship. Just a few miles away, the Big Field Water Association serves 653 households — 524 of which are considered low income — highlighting the persistent challenges across the region. The median household income for Marks is just $30,169. In Lambert, it’s $28,793.

In these conditions, programs like CU’s Fortified Roof effort aren’t just helpful — they are a lifeline.

CU’s role in Lambert wasn’t just about getting shingles on roofs. It was about helping local leaders expand their capacity to bring resources into their communities. This is where CU’s strategic blending model truly comes to life — where water system compliance work leads to new housing opportunities, and where one community’s former mayor becomes a bridge to change for the entire region.

For Pastor Griffith and Lula, the new roof brought more than shelter — it renewed their faith.

“Our faith has increased,” he said. “Now that we see this has been done, our prayers have been answered for the roof. So it increases our faith that the other things we need are coming too.”

Their gratitude echoes far beyond the walls of their home. It shows the power of meeting people where they are — with the tools and compassion to build them up.