Sponsor Spotlight: The Home Depot Foundation

Here at Habitat, we know it truly takes a village to build a home, and we are incredibly grateful for our community of volunteers, sponsors, and partners who help make it all possible. The Home Depot Foundation is an integral part of what we are able to accomplish, with employees who serve as volunteers, and the corporate foundation serving as sponsors through grants and funding.

This month we connected with Alicia Abigana, the local store manager at The Home Depot who also serves as the District Community Captain for the North Bay, to help give our supporters a snapshot of the meaningful partnership between our affiliate and The Home Depot.

Alicia began working with The Home Depot back in 2008 as an hourly worker, and after being given the opportunity to serve as a Community Captain, she jumped at the chance to help coordinate community donations.

“I loved being a community captain, meeting our local community partners, and getting them what they needed,” said Abigana. I asked the leadership how I could get more involved, and I eventually got to do this type of community work at a higher level. I love what I do – I get to go out into the community and do for others what they can’t always do for themselves.”

Abigina is always just a phone call away, and thanks to grants through The Home Depot Foundation, we have been able to get many supplies, materials, and lumber donated for our home projects, including the lumber for our most recent project, the Veterans’ Residence in Rio Vista (pictured above). The walls were assembled off-site by an incredible volunteer crew from The Home Depot, and were raised at the Rio Vista location in February 2020. Abigana also helps coordinate donations of supplies including wood, lighting, copper wire, nails, paint and much more.

According to the foundation’s website, The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $350M in veteran causes and improved more than 48,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,500 cities. In 2018, the Foundation pledged an additional $250 million to veteran causes taking the total commitment to half a billion by 2025.

“Here at The Home Depot we know that all communities are different, and our community partners help us determine who is the most in need, and how our dollars can best impact those in need, especially during this pandemic,” said Abigana. Despite the setbacks of 2020, both our affiliate and The Home Depot Foundation have forged ahead with their missions and figured out safe ways to continue building and giving to those in need. The Home Depot has also donated masks and hand sanitizer to organizations so they can continue their efforts.

“There’s been hardship times in my life that I’ve been able to overcome with the help of others, and now I get to help pay it forward,” said Abigana. “I also come from a large military family, so being able to work on these Veteran projects and make an impact really touches me on a personal level. I wouldn’t be able to do this work without the support of the foundation.”

Thanks again to Alicia for taking the time to connect with us. We are grateful for her dedication and support, and look forward to a long-lasting community partnership with The Home Depot!

Photo caption: The Home Depot volunteer crew, taken in 2019 (prior to the pandemic).