Family Focus

Wolfson Children’s Hospital employee ‘Jingle Beard’ rewarded new roof for the holidays

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax’s Robert Grant has more on this story LIVE at 5:30 on FOX30/CBS47. Click here to watch.

For the past three years, Reliant Roofing in Jacksonville rewards a local resident with a new roof. Organizers said this year’s recipient had more nominations than they’ve ever seen before. This year, they decided to reward a COVID-19 hero with a roof.

The winner is Jared Menefee and his wife, Patty, who both work at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The couple work opposite shifts so that there’s always someone home to care for their four children.

Jared still finds time in the busy schedule to make other families at the hospital smile, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s become known as the “Jingle Beard” for the ornaments he decorates his beard with during the holidays. He told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant that it all started about three years ago, when he decked his beard with 18 ornaments for Christmas.

The tradition has grown over the years, and now he decorates for every holiday. This Christmas season, he’s decking his beard with 50 ornaments.

“Either they laugh at me or they enjoy it. Either way it takes them from all their troubles and tribulations with everything that’s going on,” he said.

On Friday, he was rewarded a $12,000 gift to lift any troubles from his mind. Reliant Roofing is giving him a new roof as part of their ‘”Every Shingle Heart” program.

“One less thing we have to worry about. It’s a lot of stress off of us,” Jared said. It means much more after he learned his daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “They take care of my family here, I can take care of my family on the other end.”

Every Shingle Matters started about three years ago as a way to give back to community members after Hurricane Matthew.

“It’s important to give back to your community that’s given so much to you,” Adrienne Menzies, the program’s Marketing and PR director, said.

Next week they will be rewarding a nonprofit, Daily Manna Serving Center, with a new roof. The center serves about 2,000 people in West Jacksonville.