A New Hampshire equine rescue got an unexpected makeover earlier this month thanks to a local filmmaker and a more than 100 construction-savvy volunteers.

The volunteers arrived unannounced at the Equine Protection of North America (EPONA) rescue in Epping, N.H., on Oct. 13. They spent nearly two weeks making $30,000 in improvements to the rescue’s facilities.

“They replaced the barn’s roof, installed water and electric lines in the paddock areas mended fences. We could never have made these improvements without this help,” said EPONA Executive Director Beverly Hanson.

Writer and filmmaker Jill Sullivan Gruetner organized the makeover without Hanson’s knowledge after discovering some of the rescue’s 10-year-old facilities were in disrepair