REPAIRING HOMES AND HEARTS OF HOMEBOUND, SENIOR VETERANS TOGETHER SINCE 2015
Arlington, VA, March 27, 2019 – Meals on Wheels America announced today that its partnership with The Home Depot Foundation recently completed home repairs for its 1,000th senior U.S military veteran through a joint initiative called the “Helping Homebound Heroes” program. As part of its ongoing commitment to improving the homes and lives of veterans and their families, The Home Depot Foundation has funded home repairs for homebound veteran Meals on Wheels recipients across the country since 2015. Watch a short video commemorating this milestone here.
“The Home Depot Foundation has been an incredibly generous partner in our efforts to deliver so much more than just a meal to some of our most vulnerable Americans,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “By ensuring homebound veterans can age more safely and comfortably in their own homes, we’re giving the gift of independence to those who gave so much of themselves to our country.”
With more than 9 million veteran homeowners between the age of 50-85, critical home repairs have proven, drastic positive effects on health and quality of life. Through this partnership, The Home Depot Foundation has contributed more than $8 million and countless volunteer hours from Team Depot – The Home Depot’s associate-led volunteer force – to engage in a wide range of home repair projects alongside community-based Meals on Wheels programs, such as adding grab bars and repairing trip and fall hazards to cleaning up unsafe yard waste and constructing wheelchair ramps.
“Doing our part to enable senior veterans to age in place and live independently as long as possible is something we’re passionate about and is key to our mission,” said Shannon Gerber, executive director at The Home Depot Foundation. “We’re in our fifth year of partnership with Meals on Wheels America to support our nation’s veterans with critical home repairs and we couldn’t be more proud of the work we’ve accomplished together.”
Since the partnership began, The Home Depot Foundation has supported Meals on Wheels in eight communities, including backyard giving in their hometown of Atlanta, Ga., as well as locations supported through Meals on Wheels America in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The two organizations are now entering their fifth year of the “Helping Homebound Heroes” program, with a continued goal to serve even more aging veterans across the country.
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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 $280 million in veteran causes and improved more than 41,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,100 cities. In 2018, the Foundation pledged an additional $250 million to veteran causes taking the total commitment to half a billion by 2025.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation and see Team Depot in action, visit thd.co/community and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @teamdepot and on Facebook at facebook.com/teamdepot.
About Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.
Press Contact:
Jenny Young
Meals on Wheels America
571-339-1603
jenny@mealsonwheelsamerica.org
Kristen Mather
The Home Depot Foundation
678-782-1984
kristen_mather@homedepot.com