Rebuilding Together, Lowe's and Meredith Corporation Revitalize Devastated Homes in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn

NEW YORK, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday, June 6, Rebuilding Together, a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, is joining together with 500 volunteers from presenting sponsors Lowe's, Meredith Corporation and other key sponsors to renovate nearly a dozen homes and community areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn, New York.

Rebuilding Together and its affiliates in New York and New Jersey along with national and local partners are committed to rebuilding at least 200 homes by 2014. Rebuilding Together affiliates have already repaired and rehabilitated nearly 100 homes across the region.

In Gerritsen Beach, volunteers from Lowe's, Meredith and other sponsors will:

• Replace flooring and sheetrock, paint, landscape, repair and replace kitchens and bathrooms, and complete many other renovations
• Provide upgrades to Vollies Memorial Hall, a local community center that supports the last remaining volunteer fire company in Brooklyn
• Revitalize the surrounding community, including the cleanup of Kiddie Beach and the renovation of the community garden

Other sponsoring organizations include Aleve, Assurant, Brooklyn Community Foundation, CBRE, Choice Hotels, Crate & Barrel, and Philips Electronics.

"Gerritsen Beach, a close-knit community located on the southeastern side of Brooklyn, was devastated when Hurricane Sandy slammed into the neighborhood with close to 10 feet of raging waters," said John L. Fiegel, Interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together.   "Along with our partners, Rebuilding Together is committed to restoring nearly a dozen homes and community areas here.  In addition to the important funding, Rebuilding Together appreciates the hands-on work that presenting sponsors Lowe's and Meredith are contributing, as well as the ground work by our local New York affiliate and other partners."

Homeowners include families whose homes have been passed down through the generations. Many families, including those with young children, veterans and senior citizens, were forced to evacuate their homes for months and will be able to return to safe and healthy housing.

In its six years of partnership with Rebuilding Together, Lowe's has contributed more than $7 million to help low-income families across the United States improve and maintain their homes.  Lowe's partners with Rebuilding Together to revitalize communities through neighborhood rebuilding events and has helped renovate and rehabilitate nearly 1,000 homes.

"Lowe's is focused on continuing to work closely with our partners to deliver funding, supplies and volunteer support to the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy," said Dennis Knowles, U.S. stores executive.  "In partnership with Rebuilding Together, we've been able to make a long-term impact by helping communities rebuild and recover."

Meredith has a 12-year partnership with Rebuilding Together. Eight of Meredith's leading brands –Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Traditional Home, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Fitness, More, and Ladies Home Journal – are supporting Rebuilding Together's Gerritsen Beach Build Day through an extensive series of print and digital efforts that will reach more than 100 million Americans, including:

• Editorial coverage in Meredith's leading magazine titles
• Broadcast coverage on Meredith's nationally syndicated The Better Show
• Coverage on Meredith's digital platforms including its leading websites and an extensive blogger network
• Creation of a customized digital destination (werebuild.com).

"Meredith has a long and rewarding 12-year history of community service and commitment to supporting the mission of Rebuilding Together," says Steve Lacy, CEO, Meredith Corporation. "We believe the incredible response by our employees to help the homeowners and community of Gerritsen Beach reflects the high value we place on volunteerism at all levels of our organization."

For more information about Rebuilding After Sandy and Gerritsen Beach, please refer to http://rebuildingtogether.org/sandy/gerritsen/.

Follow the Rebuilding Together efforts on Twitter at @WeRebuild2013 and @RebldgTogthr using the hashtag #WeRebuild or #RTSandy.

About Rebuilding Together:
Rebuilding Together is a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home. Our focus provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes and community centers at no cost to service recipients. Our impact extends beyond the individuals served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the country. Our close to 200 local affiliates complete nearly 10,000 rebuild projects a year thanks to the efforts of nearly 200,000 volunteers from corporate partners, skilled trades professionals and everyday good citizens. Join us — visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

About Lowe's:
Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. The company's signature education grant program, Lowe's Toolbox for Education^®, has donated more than $36 million to 8,000 K-12 public schools, benefiting more than 4 million schoolchildren. Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers support local community projects and our national nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together and the American Red Cross. In 2012, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $30 million to support communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

About Meredith:
Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women.  Meredith reaches 100 million American women every month through multiple well-known national brands and local television brands in fast-growing markets.  Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, food, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms – including print, television, digital, mobile, tablets, and video – to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.  Meredith Corporation and The Meredith Corporation Foundation contribute nearly $4 million annually to charitable community and civic organizations.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together