Home Depot dedicates $1 million for Legion grants
Executive Director of The Home Depot Foundation Gaven Gregory announced a $1 million grant to American Legion projects through his foundation's Team Depot at the 96th National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 28. (Photo by Lucas Carter)

Home Depot dedicates $1 million for Legion grants

The Home Depot Foundation, which has provided more than $81 million in grants for building projects that benefit veterans over the last three years, is dedicating $1 million for American Legion projects, working through Team Depot, an army of some 350,000 employees and volunteers throughout the country, the executive director of the company’s foundation announced Thursday.

“We do thousands of community service projects every year, and hundreds of them are at your posts,” Home Depot Foundation Executive Director Gaven Gregory said from the podium of the 96th National Convention of The American Legion, in Charlotte, N.C. “When we got involved in this relationship, a lot of it was because those folks in the field (Team Depot) had done projects with you and said, ‘Hey, look, The American Legion is important to us. It’s important to our communities. And we want to do more.’ We took that guidance and said, ‘OK, we’re going to do more.’”

Over the past three years, the foundation and Team Depot have helped transform more than 13,000 homes for veterans, he said. “Since the launch of our mission, our volunteers have touched the homes and lives of veterans in every state, in thousands of cities across the country. We’re pretty proud of that. We have developed a powerful alliance with The American Legion over the years. We’ve worked together across the country to improve the lives of our veterans, from touching up posts to repairing homes for Legion members in need.”

He said The Home Depot Foundation grants have grown from $140,000 in 2011, to over $450,000 in 2012 and nearly double that in 2013. “The more we worked together, the more we realized what a powerful force we can be,” Gregory said.

He showed the crowd examples of American Legion projects in Tybee Island, Ga.; Stickney, Ill.; Alpharetta, Ga.; and Phoenix. Many of the projects have included improvements at American Legion posts, themselves.

Gregory said Legionnaires are encouraged to contact their local Home Depot stores and ask for the Team Depot captains who can assist with grant applications. For more information, Legion members can also visit http://homedepotfoundation.org/ on the web.

“I’m so proud of this relationship and the amazing work we do together,” Gregory said. “That’s why we are incredibly proud to announce we are committing an investment of $1 million over the next year at American Legion posts and veterans across the country, in alliance with The American Legion. We know we’re going to be working together for a long time.”