Across the South, arctic temperatures left communities scrambling for heat, supplies and support. In moments of need, Lowe’s associates in multiple towns didn’t hesitate to help.
In Somerset, Kentucky, the cold knocked out power at Sunrise Children’s Services, where 27 boys were staying in cottages with failing generators.
“They were trying to stay warm in cottages that had dropped to 40 degrees,” said Assistant Store Manager David Zuger.
A local church member had come into the store looking to buy generators. “The church was going to purchase them,” Zuger said. “But when we heard they were for Sunrise, we knew immediately we had to help.”
With disaster relief funds already in place, the team donated multiple generators on the spot. “It wasn’t a decision we needed to sit on,” Zuger said. “We’d been looking for the right opportunity to help someone in the community. This was it.”
Customer service associate Jonathan Nickell added, “You never really know what a customer is going through. But this story touched all of our hearts.”
The 27 boys are part of Sunrise’s Cumberland Adventure Program. “We were in a pickle,” said Dale Suttles, president of Sunrise. “We had generators, but they were very antiquated. Some of them would not start.”
A representative from the church reached out to Lowe’s, and the response was immediate. “The store says, no, this is on us, which to me is the best of America,” Suttles said. “It makes you feel good that a company like Lowe’s has your back.”
In Opelousas, Louisiana, another Lowe’s team did the same. Store Manager William Grimsley noticed a familiar face in his store, a local officer with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office Elderly Services Division, shopping for space heaters.
“She’d been in here a bunch over the last couple of weeks,” Grimsley said. “I found out she’d been buying heaters with her own money because the department is small. She said she had everybody covered except three residents and wasn’t sure how to take care of them that night.”
With temperatures dropping into the 20s, Grimsley didn’t hesitate. “I just donated a couple of heaters,” he said. “It wasn’t a big thing, just three heaters, but it made a difference.”
For Grimsley, it came down to knowing his regulars and having the ability to act. “Little things really do go a long way in a small town,” he said. “To be able to make those decisions on the spot, without having to ask or call a boss, that means a lot. It’s empowering.”
Whether it was children without heat or seniors facing a cold night, these teams met urgent needs without being asked.
“We don’t do this for recognition,” Nickell said. “We just want to do right by people.”
