As the frost of an unusually cool fall morning started to melt away from the hillside, Paintsville Lowe’s Home Improvement associates were already hard at work on the home sitting atop of the driveway for another day of service with Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). For the fourth year, associates spent four days serving with CAP by building a ramp to provide a participant safe accessibility in and out of their home.
“This week is always my favorite week of the year,” said Candy Bates, store manager of the Paintsville Lowe’s. “This week of service gives us the opportunity to help our neighbors in the community and learn how we can meet the needs in our community.”
For more than 15 years, associates at the Paintsville Lowe’s have partnered with CAP to ensure staff and volunteers have necessary materials to make homes safe, warm, and dry. Through the Lowe’s Give Back Time initiative, associates have worked with CAP hands-on to help with home repair projects. The initiative encourages associates to serve in their communities and offers them hours of paid volunteer time to annually dedicate to a nonprofit organization of the associate’s choice.
“Whether it’s in the store or on a worksite, the associates at Lowe’s are always willing and ready to help CAP,” said Ronnie Griffith, a CAP Elderly Home Repair crew leader. “Candy and her team know the community and the people we serve. They help CAP make homes safe, warm, and dry for children, their families, and seniors here.”
When devastating flooding left hundreds of families displaced in 13 Eastern Kentucky counties, Paintsville Lowe’s helped respond to the need again by supporting disaster relief and recovery efforts across the region through organizations like CAP.
“As cold as we may have been in the mornings while serving with CAP, we got to go home to our houses with heat and running water. But there are still people living in tents because of the flood,” Bates said. “We want to do what we can to help these families recover. We are blessed to work for a company that is able to touch the lives of so many families through service and partnerships.”
