Thousands of free meals, gift cards given following Hurricane Michael

Oct 15, 2018

Lowe's employees and volunteers hosted community relief events for Florida residents

Over the weekend, many Lowe’s parking lots in Florida became more than just a place to park. They were a place where residents affected by Hurricane Michael could come to begin their recovery journey.

In two days, Lowe’s hosted four community relief events for residents impacted by the storm and more events are scheduled to take place in the coming days.

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As soon as crews were able, employees and volunteers from Lowe’s set up the events in affected Florida communities where teams gave out free, hot meals as well as thousands of free gift cards.  More than 3,500 gift cards, Lowe’s blue buckets and 2,000 hot meals were given out during the events, and thousands more will be delivered during additional events to help residents get back on their feet.

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thousands-of-free-2Even though one Lowe’s store suffered major damage itself, in a matter of days, Lowe’s worked to set up tents and brought in product that could be staged in the parking lot, so customers could still come to the store to buy the supplies they need.

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As part of the company’s response to the storm, Lowe’s also mobilized more than 100 associates on Employee Relief Teams. These specially trained employees are volunteers who travel to areas impacted by devastation, giving local associates affected by the storm time to be with their families.

Last week, Lowe’s announced it would be giving another $2 million in disaster relief support to associates, customers and communities impacted by Hurricane Michael’s devastation in the Gulf Coast states. The increase brings the company’s 2018 hurricane aid to $4 million.

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