Atlanta-Based Companies Join Forces to Bring Help to Joplin

ATLANTA, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Some of the top companies in Georgia are coming together today to aid tornado victims in Joplin, Mo.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO )

Almost 200 volunteers from The Home Depot® have flown into Joplin courtesy of a Delta Air Lines chartered Boeing 757 to perform a number of activities, including installing "Blue Roofs" (blue tarps) over damaged homes, debris removal and general clean-up activities.  The public can keep up with the day's activities through live updates, photos and videos by following The Home Depot on Twitter (@homedepot and @homedepotfdn).

Many of today's volunteers work at The Home Depot's Store Support Center in Atlanta and have been instrumental in helping the community and associates at the Company's destroyed Joplin store recover and in preparing for the opening of a new temporary store to serve customers.  These volunteers add to the more than 500 Home Depot associates throughout the Midwest who have already made the trek to Joplin to volunteer their time and specialized skills to help with clean up and repair activities.  

In addition to volunteers, the Delta plane will also be carrying several thousand pounds of donated paper towels and industrial wipes from Georgia-Pacific. Chick-fil-A and Coca-Cola are providing food and water to keep The Home Depot volunteers fueled for the day's activities.  

"The people of Joplin, including one-third of our own associates, are still cleaning up and recovering from the damage done to their homes by the deadly tornado on May 22," said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation.  "The Home Depot's associates in Atlanta have been asking for the opportunity to go to Joplin to help the community and their fellow associates.  Thanks to the generosity of Atlanta companies like Delta and Georgia-Pacific, we're making that happen today."

Delta's aircraft, crew and logistics staffs are coordinating The Home Depot volunteers and Georgia-Pacific's cargo.  The flight departed for Joplin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 20 and will return to Atlanta later this evening. More than 25 Delta people are involved in the operational and logistical effort.  The staff, aircraft and cargo space totals approximately $50,000 in support of the relief mission.

"Delta has called Atlanta home for 70 years and seven decades of building relationships in this community, means that we band together to help those dealing with a tragedy like the tornado that powered through Joplin – whether the need is an ocean away or right in our back yard," said Tim Mapes, Delta's senior vice president - Marketing. "We're honored to partner with these other great Atlanta companies and pleased our expertise in transportation logistics is going towards this deserving cause today."

Also delivered to assist Joplin relief efforts are an assortment of Dixie® paper plates, cups, utensils, napkins and other products donated by Georgia-Pacific to Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to children's feeding programs, community outreach and disaster response in Joplin and other communities around the world.

"The Home Depot and Georgia-Pacific have worked together for years to provide families with building products for constructing and remodeling their homes and their communities. Taking part in this relief effort continues our involvement with The Home Depot team, as well as with our fellow Atlanta companies, to support the people of Joplin as they rebuild their community," said Curley M. Dossman, Jr., president, Georgia-Pacific Foundation.

Team Depot Volunteer Project

Team Depot, The Home Depot's associate-led volunteer force, is working today with non-profit disaster relief organization Operation Blessing International to provide assistance to Joplin residents affected by the recent tornado.  Associates are repairing and replacing the roof, windows and siding on a fellow Joplin associate's home, which was severely damaged by the tornado.  In addition, Team Depot will be repairing and renovating the local Little League Park.

This effort is part of The Home Depot's ongoing commitment to support Joplin and its residents as they rebuild.  The Company has committed to rebuild its own store and The Home Depot Foundation has pledged $1 million to clean-up and rebuilding initiatives in the community.  The Foundation has already distributed $250,000 of its commitment.

In addition, 33 of The Home Depot's 93 associates in Joplin were impacted by the tornado.  As a result, The Homer Fund, a nonprofit charity dedicated to help associates in times of need, has launched a companywide "Drive for Joplin" campaign.  To date, The Homer Fund has distributed almost $40,000 of the $60,000 it has raised for Joplin associates.

Temporary Store Opening

Today's activities coincide with the opening of The Home Depot's 60,000 square-foot temporary store to serve the residents of Joplin.  While the Company is in the process of rebuilding its permanent location, the temporary store will have many of the items customers expect to find at The Home Depot, with a focus on products and services residents need for the recovery and rebuilding process, including:

• lumber, drywall and roofing
• doors and windows
• electrical and plumbing
• paint and cleaning supplies
• tool rentals, including heavy equipment
• installation services for a wide range of home needs

About The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines and Georgia-Pacific

The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Chick-fil-A and Coca-Cola are Atlanta-based companies, with national and international operations.  Each company is committed to helping communities in need in a variety of ways.  Learn more:

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,244 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 2010, The Home Depot had sales of $68.0 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $3.3 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. 

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide  in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 354 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

With more than 40,000 people at approximately 300 locations in North America, South America, and Europe, Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels, napkins, paper plates and cups, packaging, office papers, cellulose, wood panels, lumber, gypsum wallboard, and related chemicals.  Its familiar brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, enMotion®, Sparkle®, Mardi Gras®, and Vanity Fair®, and the Dixie® brand of tabletop products. The company has long been among the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers to lumber and building materials dealers, and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers.  For more information, visit www.gp.com, www.facebook.com/georgiapacific or www.twitter.com/georgiapacific.

SOURCE The Home Depot