Lowe's ups its Milton relief efforts
Lowe's is donating an additional $10 million to support hurricane relief in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Helene and the extensive damage from Hurricane Milton. The company's $12 million donation will continue to assist its nonprofit partners and first responders, per Lowe's.
"The destruction in the western part of our home state is overwhelming, and we're seeing firsthand the total impact of Hurricane Milton," said Marvin Ellison, Lowe's chairman and CEO. "I'm grateful for the ongoing response from the entire Lowe's team, from our frontline associates to our supply chain team, as well as our vendor partners. I also want to share my gratitude for our customers' support of the American Red Cross at checkout in stores. The road to rebuild is going to be long and challenging, and I want our associates and the communities we serve to know that Lowe's will be there for them every step of the way."
Lowe's will continue its support of western North Carolina with hundreds of red vest associates volunteering alongside the company's nonprofit partners to support widespread cleanup efforts. Lowe's associates will contribute thousands of volunteer hours and leverage Lowe's product assortment to help communities continue to clear mud and debris.
Lowe's stores in the areas affected by Hurricane Milton will host disaster relief events to distribute cleaning supplies beginning next week. Since Helene's landfall, Lowe's stores have hosted more than 40 of these relief events, from Florida to Tennessee, handing out thousands of free buckets of supplies. Stores across hardest-hit areas continue to work closely with first responders to supply critically needed products such as chainsaws, long-handled tools to clear debris, water and generators.
Lowe's deployed more than 250 Emergency Response Team (ERT) members to support areas hard-hit by Helene. ERTs continue to support stores in western North Carolina, and more than 250 associates will be deployed to Florida over the next week. These specially trained Lowe's associates have voluntarily traveled to the Southeast from as far as Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The additional support allows affected associates the time to focus on their families and personal recovery.
The Lowe's Employee Relief Fund continues to expedite financial assistance for associates. Through the end of the year, Lowe's will continue to double the company's match, contributing $2 for every dollar an associate donates.
Customers across the country can support hurricane relief efforts through the American Red Cross by rounding up their transaction to the nearest whole dollar at checkout in Lowe's stores through Nov. 3. These donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters across the U.S., including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Customers have contributed more than $3 million to date, according to Lowe's.
