The Salvation Army and Veterans Village were “Co-Recipients” of a $200,000 beautification grant and selected as the property/location to host The Home Depot Foundation’s Coachella Valley event on Oct. 24, 2023. Precisely 410 volunteers and 30 crew leaders from all over the nation represented The Home Depot Foundation to provide property upgrades and fixes to Veterans Village and The Salvation Army property.
Here is just a sample of the work volunteers completed for Veterans Village and The Salvation Army:
- Painting of interior walls in most of The Salvation Army building
- Flooring
- Upgrading the look of Mr. Willard’s Closet with a “Café atmosphere on the outside, installing shading, water misters, carport, and storage for The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) and bus.
- Benches and tables around the courtyard
- New landscaping
365 Connect is a 501c3 whose mission is to connect corporations and donors with nonprofit organizations. They work closely with the Home Depot Foundation to find projects that are a fit for the Foundation to sponsor and support. After reaching out to Communications/Events based on a news release published about the Veterans Village grand opening, the Communications & Events Manager put them in contact with Veterans Village and The Salvation Army to see if there was a fit.
365 Connect, The Salvation Army and Veterans Village worked alongside the City’s Planning Department to secure any necessary permits prior to the October volunteer event. The City of Cathedral City approved the Special Use Permit (SUP) for this event at the Oct. 11, 2023, regular meeting. The City is proud to support this project as it represented a tremendous opportunity to promote and tell the story of the Coachella Valley’s love and community service/assistance to veterans and their families.
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 $475M in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program.
