Relief buckets contain supplies like trash bags, gloves, bleach and other items that help customers clean up after a disaster
Lowe’s makes it a priority to be there for communities when they need it most, like before, during and after a disaster. In the aftermath of severe weather like flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes across the U.S., Lowe’s volunteers come together to help customers and communities begin their recovery. To prepare for potentially devastating events, Lowe’s hosted its third annual Bucket Brigade where associates filled thousands of Lowe’s blue buckets with disaster relief supplies.
On July 17th, more than 1,300 Lowe’s volunteers from the corporate campus in Mooresville, North Carolina and a distribution center in Statesville, North Carolina came together to assemble 20,000 buckets, the most Lowe’s associates have ever packed in one event. All 20,000 of these buckets will be stored at the distribution center in Statesville until they are needed. Then, when a disaster strikes, they will be shipped and distributed to communities in need.
Twelve thousand buckets from last year’s event were distributed to communities along the North Carolina coast following Hurricane Florence.
Madison Fowler, a Central Quoting Coordinator at Lowe’s, spoke about why she decided to volunteer at the Bucket Brigade.
“This event gives you a hands-on opportunity to make a difference and assist people in need.”
Being a native of North Carolina, Fowler said she knows the impact of hurricanes and said it makes her feel good to help communities facing devastation.
The all-day event included seven sessions where groups of 210 volunteers filled buckets with more than $1 million worth of supplies. Lowe’s is proud to work with vendors like Clorox, Bradshaw Home, 3M, ZEP, Scotch-Brite, Blue Hawk, Cutter and AJAX who donated all the items included in the buckets. The supplies included gloves, bleach, trash bags and other essentials items to clean up after a disaster.
One of Lowe’s disaster partners, Operation Barbeque Relief (OBR), also volunteered at the event by providing meals for those who assembled buckets. The organization feeds those who are displaced during natural disasters and emergencies.
Laurie Polak, a part-time Merchandising Service Associate at Lowe’s in Chicago, is also a volunteer for OBR so she decided to come to Lowe’s corporate campus for the event and volunteer for both organizations. She said she volunteers some of her time to OBR because they help give some sense of normalcy to those in areas affected by severe weather. Polak said she loves being a part of both Lowe’s and OBR because they both give back to communities around the country.
The Bucket Brigade is just one part of Lowe’s comprehensive disaster relief plan. In 2018, Lowe’s committed $4 million in disaster relief to support associates, customers and communities in the Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael.
See more photos from the day in the photo gallery below:
