Recovery Supplies, Personnel on Standby
Lowe's to Match Donations up to $1 Million to Benefit the American Red Cross
MOORESVILLE, N.C., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lowe's Companies,
Inc. (NYSE: LOW) announced today the company has hundreds of truckloads of
emergency supplies staged and ready for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts along
the Gulf Coast. The company also announced that its more than 1,125 stores
nationwide will serve as official cash donation sites to benefit the American
Red Cross disaster relief fund. Lowe's will match in-store customer
contributions up to $1 million.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031205/LOWLOGO )
"Lowe's is a long-time, valued and committed partner of the American Red
Cross. This relationship is critical to our ability to respond to disasters
such as Hurricane Katrina," said Kathleen Loehr, vice president of strategic
fundraising at the American Red Cross. "Money raised through the Lowe's
customer donation program will help the Red Cross provide for people's basic
needs such as food, shelter, health and mental health services following the
storm."
During 2004 alone, Lowe's and its customers raised $1.5 million to assist
American Red Cross efforts, including relief to the thousands impacted by the
2004 hurricanes that hit the southeastern United States. Lowe's has raised
more than $7.5 million for the Red Cross over the past five years.
As of Monday afternoon, Lowe's had approximately 23 stores closed in
coastal Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, and more than 20 additional stores
under its command center watch.
"Lowe's command center was activated last Wednesday, and throughout the
weekend we've been expediting as much emergency product into those markets and
to nearby Lowe's locations, before the mandatory evacuations were ordered,"
said Nick Canter, Lowe's executive vice president of store operations.
"Working with our vendors and utilizing our distribution network, we'll have
several hundred truckloads of cleaning products, roofing shingles, propane,
gas cans and other emergency recovery items ready to help our neighbors
rebuild from this devastating storm."
More than 500 Lowe's employees in other parts of the southeast are on
standby as part of Lowe's Storm Recovery Teams that will allow Lowe's to
reopen its stores in those markets as soon as it is safe to do so, while
allowing Lowe's employees in the region to attend to their own homes and
personal matters.
ABOUT LOWE'S:
Lowe's is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross, Habitat for
Humanity International, United Way of America and the Home Safety Council, in
addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help
communities across the country. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation
awards more than $3 million annually to diverse organizations across the
United States. Lowe's also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe's Heroes
program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe's is a FORTUNE(R)
50 company with fiscal year 2004 sales of $36.5 billion and has more than
1,125 stores in 49 states. For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.
ABOUT AMERICAN RED CROSS:
The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors-
across the street, across the country and across the world-in emergencies.
Each year, in communities large and small, victims of some 70,000 disasters
turn to neighbors familiar and new - the nearly 1 million volunteers and
35,000 employees of the Red Cross. Through almost 900 locally supported
chapters, more than 15 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for
and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Some
4 million people give blood - the gift of life - through the Red Cross, making
it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The
Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their
families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of 181 national societies,
the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable
people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is
invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a
government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its
work. Marsha J. Evans is the President and CEO of the American Red Cross.
SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.lowes.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031205/LOWLOGO
CONTACT:
Chris Ahearn, +1-704-758-2304, or
Chris.B.Ahearn@lowes.com , or Karen Cobb, +1-704-758-3504, or
Karen.s.cobb@lowes.com , both of Lowe's Companies, Inc.
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