Lowe’s Staff and Supplies Help Build in Jackson

Lowe’s staff came out after hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast not only to donate supplies but to wield hammers as well. Donning Lowe’s red aprons, store staff from the Madison and Flowood locations in the Jackson area jumped right into the work and committed to a full week of assisting with Habitat’s Operation Home Delivery project in Jackson.

“It’s worth every minute out here—the sweat, the pain. It’s very gratifying to be here,” said Joe Anderson, assistant manager of the Madison store. Only four months ago, Anderson relocated from New Orleans to the Jackson area to come work for the Madison store location. His family, including his mother and brother, remained in New Orleans. After Katrina wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast, his family was forced to abandon their flooded homes and moved to Dallas, Texas, to stay with other relatives.

“The news on TV only shows half of it,” said Anderson, referring to the destruction Katrina left behind in New Orleans. Anderson recently made a trip to New Orleans to assess the damage done to his family’s homes and to collect any salvageable items. “The roof of my mother’s house was falling apart,” Anderson said. “And mold was already growing on the walls.”

Anderson has volunteered with Habitat before, through his previous employer in New Orleans. Because he feels personally connected to this disaster, Anderson said it makes it easy to get up at 4:30 in the morning to come out and help build houses before going to work for the day.

Holly Sorg, assistant human resource manager of the Madison Lowe’s store, has also come out to help build this week. “I’ve hammered so many nails today, my hands feel like they are about to fall off,” Sorg said, laughing. Sorg relocated from Gulfport, Miss., last April to come work for the Madison store. Like Anderson, Sorg has friends along the Gulf Coast who were traumatically affected by the hurricanes.

Sorg said that Lowe’s provides assistance to displaced associates devastated by the hurricanes, giving them opportunities to transfer to other store locations in the country. In addition, Lowe’s has a relief fund that these employees can apply for, giving up to $1,500 per individual. This monetary assistance helps those employees afflicted by the hurricanes with their relocation process, typically funding rent money for a new apartment or miscellaneous living costs.

“To be backed by such a great company, and be involved in this build to give something back, makes every bit worthwhile,” said Sorg. “This is my ninth Habitat house build, and I would do it all over again.”