ATLANTA, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot
Foundation has surpassed $400 million
invested in support of U.S. military veterans since 2011, when it
first announced a formal commitment to veteran causes. This pledge
has since grown to $500 million by
the year 2025, primarily focusing on veteran housing
initiatives.
"The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation want every veteran
to have access to safe, affordable housing that fits their
individual needs," said Craig
Menear, chairman and CEO of The Home Depot. "We strive to
help veterans live independently by conducting critical home
repairs, providing mortgage-free smart homes and helping to end
veteran homelessness with our nonprofit partners."
Since 2010, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in
the U.S. has decreased by nearly half, according to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, and 13 cities have
ended veteran homelessness. However, more than 37,000 veterans are
facing homelessness on any given night, and nearly 3 million live
in inadequate housing, according to the latest estimates by the
Housing Assistance Council.
For the past decade, the Foundation has focused on ending
veteran homelessness, improving veteran housing through
critical home repairs; and building accessible smart homes for
catastrophically combat-wounded veterans. The $400 million invested to date has helped the
Foundation and its national nonprofit partners build, renovate and
enhance more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities and
provide critical assistance to veterans and their families in
need.
The Home Depot's associate volunteer force, Team Depot, has
volunteered more than 1.25 million hours in service to veterans
since 2011. Team Depot provides boots-on-the-ground support,
investing sweat equity to help nonprofit partners improve veteran
homes and housing facilities in communities across the country.
This year, the Foundation recognized 10 years of partnership and
impact on veteran issues with organizations like Habitat for
Humanity, Volunteers of America, Operation Homefront, Semper Fi & America's Fund and U.S.VETS,
among others.
"Since 2011, we've worked with some of the nation's leading
veteran service organizations to effect positive change for
veterans, many of whom are facing homelessness, housing insecurity
or housing that hinders their movement or ability to live
independently due to service-connected injuries," said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home
Depot Foundation. "We're proud to serve alongside our partners who
work tirelessly to support veterans. We know there is so much more
work to be done, and we are honored to continue serving alongside
these incredible organizations."
Veterans Day also marks the return of the Foundation's Operation
Surprise campaign, which aims to provide life-changing moments of
surprise and support for veterans and communities in need. Working
with nonprofit partners and Team Depot, the Foundation will execute
acts of service and surprise in celebration of its 10 years of
impact in the veteran housing space, starting with 10 critical home
repair projects in honor of Veterans Day. These 10 projects,
happening coast-to-coast, will kick off hundreds of Team Depot
volunteer efforts that will paint brighter futures for communities
in need.
Follow #OperationSurprise to see how The Home Depot Foundation
will continue serving communities nationwide this season of
giving.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The
Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes
and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the
labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters.
Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $400 million in veteran causes and improved more
than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has
pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by
2025 and $50 million in training the
next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro
program.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation
visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us
on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and
on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
About The Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world's
largest home improvement specialty retailer. At the end of the
second quarter, the Company operated a total of 2,298 Home Depot
retail stores in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10
Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2020, The Home Depot
had sales of $132.1 billion and earnings of $12.9
billion. The company employs approximately 500,000 associates. The
Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:
HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and
Standard & Poor's 500 index.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-home-depot-foundation-surpasses-400-million-in-support-of-veterans-301421973.html
SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation