The Home Depot Reaches Product Donation Milestone: $150 Million Donated To Local Nonprofits Nationwide

What do Atlanta Union Mission, Help the Children, and Rebuilding Together have in common? They, along with thousands of other nonprofits, receive regular donations of products from The Home Depot. Since 2008, The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation have worked with Good 360 to distribute millions of dollars in product to nonprofit organizations that use the materials to help those in need. As the program, Framing Hope, prepares to enter its sixth year this February, we are happy to announce a new and exciting milestone - we have surpassed $150 million in product donation!

Framing Hope was launched in 2008 after a call from our associates who wanted to make good use of merchandise from our stores that would otherwise be discarded. Now, the national program matches more than 1,200 stores with local nonprofits that receive much needed home improvement supplies to support their charitable efforts. In a true life example of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” the receiving nonprofits have made use of the donated materials that would otherwise be thrown away to address housing needs of low-to-moderate income homeowners, veterans, seniors and others in need.

Since it began, Framing Hope has become not only a vital part of our organization, but a significant part of our giving strategy. In 2012 alone, The Home Depot donated $37.7 million worth of products to nonprofit organizations, $10 million of which directly supported U.S. military veterans.

“[Framing Hope] started as a grassroots effort on the part of our associates to divert good, useable building materials from the landfill to local nonprofits helping individuals, low income families and the needy have a decent, safe affordable place to call home,” says Fred Wacker, Director and Chief Operating Officer of The Home Depot Foundation. “It is a great accomplishment of our associates that we have reached the $150 million milestone and impacted over one million homes and families.”

The $37.7 million in product donated during 2012 alone benefited more than 60,000 homes and local facilities that help these deserving families and individuals in their areas. Just a few examples of what Framing Hope accomplishes include:

• Atlanta Union Mission renovated the dormitories at The Potter’s House, a working farm outside Athens that can house about 180 men in long-term, intensive care for chemical addiction.
• Help the Children distributes products to nonprofits including bathroom fixtures, carpets, tile and wood flooring, window blinds and more.
• Rebuilding Together affiliates in Lynchburg, VA and Tempe, AZ have refurbished homes for disabled veterans and seniors.

Recently at the National Retail Federation’s BIG Show, we were thrilled to join Good360 Board Chair Carly Fiorina in a panel discussion, “Doing Well by Doing Good,” about the strategic business case for product donation. There, Fred Wacker highlighted our program and discussed how the partnership successfully allows us to repurpose Home Depot product for positive social impact. (For more information on the National Retail Federation’s BIG Show, click here)

“Framing Hope aligns many of The Home Depot’s core values, such as Giving Back, Doing the Right Thing and Building Strong Relationships,” adds Wacker. “In addition, it positively addresses the social, economic and environmental needs of our communities.”

According to a recent report on the program from Indiana University, the “social, economic and environmental” impact he references have been substantial. Results include:

• Social Impact:  Nearly 600,000 low income families reached
• Economic Impact:  More than $56 million in embodied energy costs saved.
• Environmental Impact: The Framing Hope program has helped families across the nation increase the sustainability of their homes by distributing ENERGY STAR products that help them save money on their energy bills. The program has also saved landfill space equivalent to approximately 6,000 garbage trucks.

On the heels of a very successful 2012, Framing Hope shows no signs of slowing down in 2013!