Giving back to your community doesn’t always mean giving money or items. Sometimes time, energy and the desire to do right is enough. That was exactly the case during a community service event in one small Alabama town.
Craig Hill, the store manager at the Lowe’s in Prattville, Alabama, learned of a volunteer opportunity through the pastor of a local church. Because of the current pandemic, the church decided to open its doors to the community and serve as a food pantry for those in need. So far, it has fed about 1,000 families using a grant the church received. Using local produce and farmers, not only has the church provided food for the community, but also a source of income for farmers who may be experiencing economic hardship.
How does Lowe’s play into an already great story?
Manpower!
The church’s pastor expressed to Hill the difficulty of getting a sufficient number of volunteers to properly run a food drive and maximize output. Shortly after, Hill reached out to Lowe’s Heroes and his fellow area store managers to pull together a task force to get the job done.
Hill and his team were able to round up roughly 30 volunteers for the event. With associates serving at various stations, families were able to pull up in their vehicles and have food placed into their cars with no strings attached.
“We took every precaution to make sure they felt safe, comfortable, fed, hydrated and practiced good hygiene throughout the event while maintaining social distancing,” Hill said.
Lowe’s also donated boxes for the food and is planning on giving the church new 6-foot folding tables for the project. The company provided all the associates with lunch, ample pairs of gloves, hand sanitizer and water during the food drive.
The church hosts this event every Thursday and will continue this routine until the grant money runs out. According to Hill, associates have continued to volunteer on their own time at the church, giving their time and energy to help families in need.
