Beech Tree News Network

The Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department got a facelift this week from the employees of several local Home Depot stores. In July heavy rain dumped more than two inches of rain in less than an hour which caused the volunteer fire station to flood that resulted in the growth of mold on the building's floors and walls. After contacting the Home Depot initially asking for a discount for repair supplies, the company took a big step farther by coming up with a $10,300 grant to help fix the flood-damaged building. On Tuesday of this week, Home Depot employees started showing up to help with repairs. By Thursday morning about 40 volunteers from eight area Home Depot stores, including Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Paducah, Evansville and Jasper Indiana, came to help. Home Depot employees replaced and repaired drywall on the walls and ceilings, installed new flooring, replaced cabinets, landscaped the entrance, and painted to help get the building back in shape.

"These folks put their life on the line for us to protect our country and to protect  us, so to be able to give back to them it's just ten-fold," says
Wayne Williams, Manager of the Home Depot in Paducah, KY.

Several of the Fifth District Firefighters and board members also assisted in the repairs.  Butler County Judge Executive David Fields stopped by the station to personally thank the Home Depot volunteers.

"We weren't expecting this much help. I can't tell you how much it takes a load off our shoulders," says Richard Henderson the Fire Chief of the 5th District Fire Department.

This local volunteer project is part of the company’s annual Celebration of Service campaign, a nationwide effort led by Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate-led volunteer force, to give back to veterans between September 1 and Veterans Day. In addition to Team Depot’s efforts, The Home Depot Foundation is pledging to grow its commitment to veteran-related causes to a quarter of a billion dollars by 2020.

 About Giving Back at The Home Depot

Since the first The Home Depot store opened in 1979, giving back has been a core value for the Company and a passion for its associates. Today, The Home Depot, in partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, focuses its philanthropic efforts on improving the homes and lives of U.S. military veterans and their families and aiding communities affected by natural disasters. Through Team Depot, the Company’s associate-led volunteer force, thousands of associates dedicate their time and talents to these efforts in the communities where they live and work.

Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $160 million to provide safe housing to veterans, and along with the help of Team Depot volunteers, has transformed more than 26,700 homes for veterans. To learn more and see Team Depot in action, visit www.homedepot.com/teamdepot.