After more than 20 years in the military, Wilmer Hill knows what it means to serve others.
“Whenever there’s a disaster or a major incident, it’s just like being in the military,” he said. “People come together. People you’ve never seen, met or talked to before.”
But this time, he wasn’t talking about a military experience. He’s now a store manager for Lowe’s, and just a few weeks ago, he witnessed the coming together of strangers, friends and associates after an EF-3 tornado ripped through Fultondale, Alabama, just north of Birmingham.
“I have some great associates here,” Hill said. “First, I made sure everybody was safe, that we didn’t have any issues and nobody got hurt. Everybody jumped in. I started calling folks about 2 o’clock that morning asking them to come in and help start the cleanup process.”
We just pulled together.
The Fultondale Lowe’s was mostly spared, but not all community members were so lucky. When Lowe’s learned of the devastation throughout the town, the company’s community relations team worked with local and regional associates to set up a relief event for those affected.
During a drive-through style giveaway, Lowe’s associates handed out roughly 500 plastic totes with emergency supplies like trash bags, gloves and water. But an extra gift from Lowe’s and CRG, one of Lowe’s vendors, is what surprised people the most.
“What really topped it off was when they got a $50 Lowe’s gift card,” Hill said. “I’m not an emotional person but when they came through the line telling us what happened to them, what they lost, crying and saying thank you… it was very emotional.”
Hill said he feels blessed to be able to give back to the community when people need it most, and added he couldn’t do it without his Lowe’s team.
“Just seeing Lowe’s…. they didn’t hesitate,” he said. “I told them what I needed, and those folks just started showing up. We just pulled together.”
