Home Depot Foundation to Help Veterans

The Home Depot Foundation is investing $9 million to provide housing for over 3,400 veterans battling homelessness by building more than 300 new housing units and repairing nearly 200 additional units. The Home Depot Foundation is collaborating with national nonprofit partners including Volunteers of America, Housing Assistance Council and Tunnel to Towers, as well as local nonprofits in Georgia, Ohio and Massachusetts.

“We are deeply committed to ensuring that our nation’s heroes have a safe and comfortable place to call home,” said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation.

The initiative also includes funding for landlord incentive programs, which the foundation says are crucial in overcoming the barriers faced by at-risk and homeless veterans in finding sustainable housing. In April, the Foundation launched the LOVE (Landlord, Organizations, and Veterans Engagement) Fund in Atlanta, a dedicated resource aimed at assisting veterans who are housing insecure or transitioning from homelessness. Under the direction of the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans and Open Doors Atlanta, this fund empowers local nonprofits to work directly with landlords, addressing challenges such as poor credit history or past evictions that often prevent veterans from obtaining housing.

“We are honored to partner with The Home Depot Foundation in this transformative endeavor,” said Matt Hurd, executive director of Open Doors Atlanta. “Their unwavering support and generous funding are instrumental in our mission to ensure every veteran and individual in the city of Atlanta has a place to call home.”

Atlanta Donates $2 Million for Rental Assistance

The Atlanta City Council has approved a $2 million donation to Star-C Corporation, a 10-year-old nonprofit that has raised $16.5 million for rental assistance, to date helping over 5,000 families. The recent $2 million will assist low-income residents, offering up to $7,000 in relief for households earning $62,000 for a family of four or $43,000 for an individual.

“When you are already challenged financially, you are only one bad day or one serious health emergency from not being able to pay your rent or mortgage,” says Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “Thanks to City Council’s support for these efforts, we are now able to help even more families avoid worst-case scenarios and keep the stability that housing provides for both them and our community.”

Metro Atlanta faced over 144,000 eviction filings in 2023. The funding, part of the city’s $100 million housing bond established last year, helps minimize eviction filings, particularly for residents experiencing temporary income loss.

Chick-fil-A’s 30 Million Meals

Chick-fil-A Shared Table food donation program has provided over 30 million meals to local communities in need across the United States and Canada, while also helping the company surpass its to divert 25 million pounds of food waste from landfills one year ahead of schedule, says Chick-fil-A Inc. It’s a significant achievement, the company says, underscoring the company’s commitment to fighting hunger and food insecurity while also demonstrating environmental stewardship.

Feeding America estimates that 44 million Americans, including 13 million children, are food insecure – lacking access to sufficient food or food of adequate quality to meet one’s basic needs. Chick-fil-A Shared Table empowers local Chick-fil-A operators to address this issue through donating surplus food from their Restaurants to local community partners to help people facing hunger. Chick-fil-A, Inc. works with Food Donation Connection and Second Harvest to connect local Owner-Operators with these organizations, and more than 2,200 Restaurants participate in the program.

Since 2012, shelters, meal programs and other organizations have transformed donated surplus food items – like chicken, fruit, biscuits, salads and more – into meals for those affected by food insecurity. Repurposing extra food that would otherwise go to waste helps Chick-fil-A reduce its environmental footprint while making a meaningful impact in addressing hunger and food insecurity within local communities.

“The heart of the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program lies with our local Restaurant Owner-Operators and the unique partnerships they develop with nonprofits in their communities to feed people in need,” said Andrew T. Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc. “Like so many of the best ideas at Chick-fil-A, Shared Table began in our Operator community, and today, many of our Chick-fil-A local Owner-Operators choose to participate out of a genuine desire to make a positive impact in the communities they serve. That’s what makes the program so successful.”