Home Depot increases SoCal wildfire aid
A major home improvement retailer is upping its original commitment to help those impacted by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.
The Home Depot Foundation is committing an additional $2 million to support immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery needs in Southern California communities impacted by wildfires, increasing its initial investment to $3 million after further conversations with on-the-ground nonprofit partners revealed the scope of the damage.
"Rebuilding will require skilled workers in construction, an industry that is already understaffed," said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "With tens of thousands of structures and many of The Home Depot's associates and customers impacted by the fires, it's important that we address the immediate needs of communities while also ensuring they are equipped to rebuild."
The Home Depot Foundation's $3 million commitment includes $2 million to disaster response nonprofit partners, such as Team Rubicon, World Central Kitchen and Convoy of Hope, among others, to support immediate relief needs as well as long-term recovery efforts. The foundation will donate $1 million to its Path to Pro employment program efforts to help fill the skilled labor gap as communities rebuild.
The Home Depot's employee assistance fund, The Homer Fund, has also activated its emergency grant program to ensure associates who have lost their homes or are under mandatory evacuations have access to safe housing, clothes, food and other essentials.
Since the wildfires began spreading in Los Angeles County earlier this month, Home Depot says that its stores have donated water, masks and other essential supplies to local nonprofits and individuals in need. Team Rubicon, a national partner of the Home Depot Foundation and veteran-led humanitarian organization, has been using The Home Depot store in Simi Valley, Calif. as a rally point to deploy hundreds of volunteers and resources to the Oak Park community, which was part of the mandatory evacuation zone. Team Rubicon is also assisting survivors across the Los Angeles area with educational materials and supplies.
[READ MORE: Amazon's 'Wildfire Relief Hub' assists in LA relief efforts with supplies, tech]
"We have thousands of volunteers in the greater metro Los Angeles area, which is growing by the day," said Team Rubicon CEO Art delaCruz. "Because of The Home Depot Foundation's initial investment in our organization in 2012, and its continued support of Team Rubicon, that volunteer force has grown exponentially and we're able to provide more relief and recovery services for natural disasters like this."
