The Home Depot Enlists Americans to Join the "Doing Nation": Turn Outdoor Spring Sprucing Projects into Support for Veterans

ATLANTA, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot®, world's largest home improvement retailer, announced today the launch of its "Doing Nation," a special spring initiative on Facebook that allows consumers to turn their outdoor projects into cash for a good cause.  The program runs from April 12, 2012 through May 24, 2012, with the potential of up to $125,000 being donated to four nonprofit organizations serving U.S. military veterans and their families:  Fisher House Foundation, Operation Homefront, U.S.Vets and Volunteers of America.

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To participate, consumers can go to The Home Depot or The Home Depot Foundation's Facebook page, or directly to apps.facebook.com/doingnation, and choose how many of the six easy and fun outdoor projects they want to tackle.  Once their project is completed, consumers simply upload a photo of their creation and select which organization they would like to receive $100.  The Home Depot Foundation will donate up to $25,000 to each of the four nonprofits for projects completed in their honor, and will double the total amount for the organization that receives the most projects. 

The six spring sprucing projects that people can complete to benefit the organizations include:

• Raised Garden Bed: Raised garden beds help homeowners conserve water while growing gorgeous plants, herbs and vegetables.
• Envirotile Porch/Patio: Innovative tiles made from recycled tires are used to create flooring for the ideal patio space.
• Outdoor Chandelier: Hang an outdoor chandelier from the bough of a tree to add a stunning focal point to an outdoor dinner setting.  
• Firepit: Pavers and soil are used to create an easy backyard accent that families will love.
• Vertical Garden: A unique project for the backyard or patio, the vertical garden creates a work of art from live goods and flowers.
• Leaning Ladder Garden: Perfect for herbs and small planters, the leaning ladder is a beautiful design project for both large and small spaces.

Each project will have a detailed how-to video highlighted on the Doing Nation Facebook application and consumers can download shopping lists for each project directly to their mobile phones. The how-to videos will also be posted on the Company's YouTube channel.

"We hope people will join our Doing Nation and have some fun with these great outdoor projects," said Craig Menear, executive vice president-merchandising, The Home Depot, and chairman of The Home Depot Foundation's Board of Directors. "We offer great values every day at The Home Depot, but now we're taking it a step further – we're giving consumers the power to donate up to $600 each to support our nation's veterans using our money."

To learn more or to start doing these spring sprucing projects that do extra good, please visit www.Facebook.com/homedepot.

About The Home Depot 

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,253 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. In fiscal 2011, The Home Depot had sales of $70.4 billion and earnings of $3.9 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.

About The Home Depot Foundation

In 2011, The Home Depot Foundation committed $30 million over three years to nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the homes of economically disadvantaged veterans.  Through Team Depot, the company's associate-led volunteer program, thousands of Home Depot associates volunteer their time and talents to positively transform neighborhoods and perform basic repairs and modifications to homes and to the facilities serving veterans with critical housing needs.

Since its formation in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has granted more than $300 million to nonprofit organizations improving homes and lives in local communities. To learn more and see our associates in action, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org, follow us on Twitter @homedepotfdn, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homedepotfoundation.

About the Organizations

About Fisher House Foundation

The Fisher House Foundation provides a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Fisher House facilities are located on the grounds of major military and Veterans Administration medical centers. 

Since the Fisher House Foundation was founded in 1990, it has saved families more than $192 million in lodging and transportation costs.

About Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront is a leading national charity that provides emergency financial and other assistance to families of our military service members and wounded warriors.  Last year alone, through chapters nationwide, Operation Homefront met 155,984 needs of military families, and marked 590,500 needs met since it was founded in 2002. The majority of OH clients (75%) are the lowest paid service members; the E1 through E6 enlisted ranks.  These include active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and transitioning veterans. 

About U.S.VETS

U.S.VETS is the nation's largest non-profit provider of services to veterans facing challenges in their transition to civilian life.  It has 11 locations nationwide and provides counseling, job training, job placement and housing services to almost 5,000 veterans nationwide each year.

About Volunteers of America

Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives.  Since 1896, the organization has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, and those recovering from addictions.

Volunteers of America has served the needs of the nation's veterans since World War I, and in 2010, served more than 7,700 homeless veterans through housing and services nationwide. Volunteers of America is committed to ending homelessness for those on the street and preventing others from becoming homeless by providing a wide array of services to meet their needs.

SOURCE The Home Depot