Lowe’s Provides 22,000 Free Thanksgiving Dinners to New York and New Jersey Families Impacted by Hurricane Sandy

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After providing critically needed supplies the past three weeks to help local communities caught in the destructive path of Hurricane Sandy, Lowe’s stores took time out this afternoon to help fill another critical need. Lowe’s distributed more than 22,000 free family-style Thanksgiving dinners to residents of the hardest-hit communities in New York and New Jersey.

“In response, Lowe’s is distributing these traditional, ready-to-serve dinners to help families in the hardest-hit areas celebrate the holiday together. I thank Lowe’s for their continuing commitment to help New Yorkers while we work to recover and rebuild our homes and communities.”

Lowe’s employee volunteers helped hand out the traditional holiday meals at 35 Lowe’s stores in the most impacted communities. The teams at each location distributed 500 Boston Market heat-and-serve meals to local families. All Lowe’s employee at those stores also received a free meal as a thank-you for their dedicated efforts to help their communities prepare for and recover from the storm.

“I recently had the opportunity to tour the area and see firsthand the tremendous loss suffered by so many families, including many of our own employees,” said Robert A. Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO. “We’re doing everything we can to help these communities get back on their feet, and food is still a critical need for so many people. We hope these meals can bring a moment of comfort for families who are enduring so many difficulties this holiday season.”

The fully cooked meals were distributed to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Each meal included fresh roasted turkey or ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet corn and rolls. Table Talk Pies of Worcester, Mass., donated more than 43,000 pies to be included in meals, and C.H. Robinson Worldwide provided transportation assistance. With each meal serving up to six, Lowe’s provided enough Thanksgiving dinners to feed for more than 136,000 people in New York and New Jersey.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his family helped distribute dinners at Lowe’s of Toms River, N.J., and members of his administration also volunteered to pass out meals at 20 Lowe’s stores throughout the state. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also expressed his appreciation for Lowe’s immediate and long-term support as families continue to recover.

“This year, many families in New York will not be able to have their usual Thanksgiving dinners at home because of the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy,” Gov. Cuomo said. “In response, Lowe’s is distributing these traditional, ready-to-serve dinners to help families in the hardest-hit areas celebrate the holiday together. I thank Lowe’s for their continuing commitment to help New Yorkers while we work to recover and rebuild our homes and communities.”

In addition to the Thanksgiving meal distribution, Lowe’s has committed more than $1 million to assist hurricane victims across the Northeast. Lowe’s support includes a $500,000 donation to the American Red Cross to provide food, shelter, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Lowe’s also contributed a $250,000 grant to Rebuilding Together and a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help Lowe’s national nonprofit partners rebuild homes and clubs in the impacted communities. During the past two weeks, Lowe’s Heroes also have distributed more than 100,000 pounds of free food and cleaning supplies in storm-battered communities across New York and New Jersey.

Individuals can team with Lowe’s to help provide assistance by donating to the Red Cross at their local Lowe’s store and at Lowes.com. Since partnering with the Red Cross in 1999, Lowe’s and its customers have contributed nearly $24 million for disaster relief.

The following are the 35 Lowe’s store communities where the free Thanksgiving dinners were distributed:


New York (13 participating stores)
Bay Shore	Hicksville	Riverhead - South
Brooklyn	Medford	South Staten Island
Brooklyn - Kings Plaza	Northwest Staten Island	Stony Brook
Farmingdale	Patchogue
Garden City	Rosedale

New Jersey (22 participating stores)
Bayonne	Holmdel	Paterson
Brick Township	Howell	Piscataway
Cape May	Jersey City	Toms River
East Brunswick	Manahawkin	Union
East Rutherford	Manchester Township	West Windsor
Eatontown	Marlboro	Woodbridge
Egg Harbor Township	Millville
Hamilton	Paramus

ABOUT LOWE’S:

Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. The company’s signature education grant program, Lowe’s Toolbox for Education^®, has donated nearly $5 million in grants to K-12 public schools every year since its inception in 2006. Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers support local community projects and our national nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross. In 2011, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $32 million to support communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.